Rewind
by Shimmering-Sky
Summary: Set in the world of my story Blue Sky. While unconscious, Sky gets transported to a strange diner with an even stranger reason-people from her past are going to show her a life she could have had. But this other world has its own issues. What could the different world mean for the Signers?
1. Prologue—The Diner

**In this story, the character-author conversation parts will only be at the end**

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs and possibly some of what happens in this story.

Warnings: You might be a little lost if you haven't read Blue Sky. Also, there will be major and minor character deaths later in the story. Mostly because this story is from Lucy the evil muse rather than Rudolph.

Prologue

"Ugh." I open my eyes to discover that I am in a booth at some diner. But how did I get here? The last thing I remember is being at the bottom of the ravine with Yusei and Kalin.

A quick glance around the diner and I find that I know everyone in it. My friends are all at a booth near the end of it. It seems like they're in an interesting conversation, but none of them will make eye contact with me. And then, when I turn to the counter, I see a handful of people that I know are dead.

"What in the world is this?" I ask, and then stand up to investigate or simply leave the diner.

"Why would you leave without having something?" an extremely familiar male voice asks. "I hear their milkshakes are good."

I whip around to face the person that spoke to me. Maybe he isn't in the Dark Signer outfit I last saw him in, but I still hate his guts and clench my fist in anger. "Roman."

"Ah yes, Sky Fudo," he says in reply, "I'm surprised your first reaction to seeing me wasn't to try to rip my head off."

_I might just do that later._ "Will you tell me what's going on?" I ask. "Last I knew, you and your brother didn't come back with the other Dark Signers."

Roman slides onto the bench on the other side of the table and motions for me to sit down. I do, slowly, my eyes on the ex-Dark Signer the whole time.

"This," Roman starts, "is a place known as the Crossroads Diner. You're here because that fall you took at the ravine should have killed you."

I swallow, knowing full well that it should have. I narrow my eyes. "But, it didn't."

"Correct," he nods, "you're actually unconscious in the real world; in fact, you can hear what's going on there if you concentrate."

When I try concentrating, all I hear are beeps from some machines. I shake my head. Then I realize that, until I wake up, I'm probably stuck here with Roman. Why, of all the people to be stuck with, would it have to be _him_? "So, you're going to keep me company until I wake up?" I ask.

"Not… exactly," Roman replies, "you only have to put up with me for a short period of time, and then someone else from your past will be here."

"Okay…" I say. "Well, I really want to know why you're here."

Roman looks out of the window next to us, looks back at me, and then crosses his arms. Both of which, I notice, are real. "I'm here, and so are the others that will come after me, to show you what your life could have been like if Zero Reverse hadn't happened."

**To be continued…**

Me: So, this is the start of another story.

Sky: Where the heck did this come from? And why does it require half of the people that are usually here to not be here?

Me: Read the warning.

Sky: *Reads warning* Major character… deaths!? _Plural!?_

Me: Yep! So far, Lucy's decided on two. I hope that's where it stays.

Leo: So who dies?

Me: You have to wait until the end of chapter two. That's where it's kind of shown. I mean, not the death scene itself, but the aftermath.

Sky: You are pure evil.

Me: No, Lucy is. This is her idea. *Smiles* So, if you want more of this, I'm asking for reviews! You can flame it, or guess who dies. Doesn't matter—I just want to hear what you guys think!


	2. Chapter 1—Zero

**So, I'm updating even though there's an utter lack of reviews. I've discovered that sometimes it takes a few updates to get reviews coming to a story**

Disclaimer: If I owned Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's, Sky would have been a legitimate character, Jack would be with Carly, and Yusei would be with Akiza. Clearly, I don't own it. But I do own my OCs.

Warnings: So… the minor character death warning comes into play during this chapter. It's the next chapter that's going to be even more fun, though… I've already written the outline of it. Also, **XXX **means page break in the real world, _**~XXX~**_ means a brake between the real world and one of the scenes.

Chapter 1

If Zero Reverse hadn't happened… If Zero Reverse hadn't happened… Those words keep repeating themselves in my head. Sure, I've imagined what my life could have been like, and I somehow work all of my friends into it, but I know that my version could only happen in a perfect world, and real life is anything but perfect. So, what Roman just told me, it definitely piques my interest.

I calm myself down, since my first reaction was to scream, "WHAT?", and as a result, I'm still in shock mode. Once I calm down, I ask again, much quieter, "What do you mean?"

Roman shrugs. "You heard me."

"Yeah I did," I say, trying to reword my question. "Actually, I really want to know _why_. _Why_ would you show me it?"

"Unfortunately, that's not a question I'm allowed to answer."

_What…?_ What in the world is that supposed to mean? I start to come up with an argument, but then Roman stands up and opens the door to the diner. A faint ringing sound echoes through the diner.

"Are you coming or are you going to sit there with that absurd look on your face?" he asks.

I stand up, scowling at Roman, and walk over to him. Peering out the door, all I see is a vast… nothingness. _Well,_ I think, _I guess I'll have to give it a shot._ I close my eyes and step out of the door.

**XXX**

When I open my eyes again, I find that I am in a long hallway that I don't recognize at all. "What does this have anything to do with Zero Reverse?" I ask. "Or rather, the lack thereof?"

Roman doesn't even need to answer me, because the second I finish talking, an emergency alarm I know far too well goes off, and I watch my father, carrying an infant Yusei and a nine-year-old me following him, run right past us.

I realize what this means—Zero Reverse is still happening—and I turn to Roman. "You said Zero Reverse wouldn't happen here!" I hiss in anger. "Then why is this _exactly_ as I remember it?"

"Do you remember," Roman says, seemingly avoiding my question, "during our Duel, when I told you that your mother had tried and failed to stop me from sending the Reactor in reverse?"

"Yeah," I answer slowly.

"In this world, your mother succeeds in stopping me, although…" he pauses for a second, "it comes at a cost. Nevertheless, what you want to see is this way."

We float (yeah, that definitely surprises me) in the direction that my father had come from, until we enter the room that houses the Reactor and the emergency control panel. I see my mother in it, and Roman—younger, the remains of his left sleeve soaked in blood—already in a heated argument.

_**~XXX~**_

"_Think of the people!" my mother shouts. "You'll destroy thousands of innocent lives, and for what? To fulfill some sick desire of yours!?"_

"_Like this is my choice!" Roman shouts back. "Those people's fates were set five thousand years ago—they're merely instruments to it! Nothing you say or do can change that!"_

_Ayame Fudo takes a step back and shakes her head. Several tears fall to the ground with the movement. "What happened to you, Roman?" she asks. "You weren't like this at all before that trip you took."_

_The Roman in the scene turns back to face the control panel and, for a second, his face looks normal—like someone who had seen something they wished they hadn't. "Everything, Ayame," he replies, "everything happened to me." The possessed look is back, and he lifts his arm, the one still intact._

_As he brings it down towards the red button that's covered in glass, my mother shouts, "DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH THAT BUTTON, ROMAN!"_

_**~XXX~**_

The scene turns white, and now Roman and I are in the room that I remember as the one where I said goodbye to Dad. I take a deep breath, "What…?"

"By that point, I was almost fully under the control of the darkness," Roman answers. "What you saw in there wasn't even the worst part of the argument."

I slow my breathing—watching that scene got me really worked up—but just as I go to comment, the scene continues.

_**~XXX~**_

_Dr. Fudo, carrying Yusei, runs into the room, the younger Sky close in pursuit. For a second, I think that the scene will play out exactly as I remember it, but then the entire room shakes violently, and my father drops to the ground, protectively trying to cover the younger Yusei and the younger Sky,_

_Several moments pass, with debris falling from the ceiling, but none of it landing on the three in the room. Then, the shaking and the emergency alarm stop at the exact same time. The younger Sky pokes her head out from under my (or would it be our?) father. "Is… is it over?"_

"_I don't," Ryuu says, pauses and takes a breath, "I don't know." He carefully stands up and holds out the younger Yusei to the younger Sky. "Sky, I want you to stay here with your brother while I go look for you mother."_

_Young Sky takes her (our?) sibling from our (maybe it's just her) father. "Okay," she says. "Be safe, Daddy."_

_**~XXX~**_

The scene freezes, and I stick my hand out, trying to balance myself on something, the urge to collapse simply overwhelming. "But… I didn't have to… the pod…' I can't seem to even put together a full sentence. I look over to the place where, in my world, was the place I last saw my father alive. The thing that I still think looks like an escape pod lies untouched.

"Since Zero Reverse didn't happen, it wasn't necessary for you to get in it," Roman says, in a slightly annoyed tone, "I don't see why this surprises you."

"It's…" I stop and look away. "That pod is really driven into my memories," I offer as an explanation to my shock. It's pretty much the truth, and watching it go unused in this world fills me up with a lot of unease.

"Very well," Roman says, and then waves his hand, dismissing that aspect of our conversation entirely. "There is one more scene I am allowed to show you, but… it's very gruesome. If you don't want to see it…" He trails off, waiting to see if I say yes or no.

_A gruesome scene that I might not want to see? And again with what he's 'allowed' to do while he's here,_ I think. _Who in the world is giving him permission for this stuff? _As for the gruesome scene, I have a feeling what it's about, but I'm not one hundred percent sure, so I guess… I take a deep breath and say, "I'd like to see the scene.

I should have said no. My feeling was spot-on to what was going to happen. And watching it… Nothing could have prepared me for what I watch as the scene continues, and I hover after my father as he leaves the small room.

_**~XXX~**_

"_Ayame! Ayame! Can you hear me?!" he calls into every room he passes. Every room, however, is completely empty. Dr. Fudo shakes his head again and continues to the end of the hallway. If his wife isn't in with the Reactor—although he suspects that is where she is, no one else could have stopped the Reactor like that—then he would have to go back, take his children, and see if Ayame is merely out at the evacuation point._

_The door to the reactor is horribly stuck, he realizes, as he tries and fails to push it open. Determined to get in, Ryuu Fudo takes a few steps back before running at the door. The collision forces it open, and he stumbles into the room. "Ayame! Are you in here?" he calls before he freezes in place._

_The room has been utterly destroyed, like the event that would have been Zero Reverse had been completely contained in it, and the only lighting in the room is from sparks—not Ener-D—surrounding the Reactor. The sparks cast eerie shadows over the rubble. Done with surveying the damage, Ryuu starts to go further into the room, where he quickly spots the shadowy figures of two people lying on the ground. Fearing the worst, he quickly maneuvers around the debris to get to them. And, like he feared, it was indeed the worst. _

_Roman lies face-down, unmoving. Ayame, however, is sprawled out on her side, struggling to push herself off of the floor._

"_Ayame!" Dr. Fudo shouts, bending down to help roll his wife over to face the ceiling, and then placing one arm under her. "Oh, Ayame…" he mutters._

_She opens her eyes, the normally bright and lively gold now dim and unseeing. "Ryuu…" she whispers, pausing to cough up blood. "Where… kids?"_

"_They're safe," he replies, trying to keep his voice steady and the tears he knows are forming at bay. He knows exactly what Ayame has done, and she wouldn't be walking away from this._

_Ayame reaches up and wipes away one tear that had started to fall from his face. "Good," she says. "Tell them I love them, okay?"_

_With that, her hand falls to her side and she lies still—but only for a moment. A light flashes that's so bright Ryuu has to shield his eyes, and when it dims, both Ayame and Roman are gone._

_**~XXX~**_

The scene turns white, and now I feel much more shaken than I was after the last scene. Seriously, if it's possible to throw up in this place, I definitely feel like doing so. "My… My mother dies anyways in that world?"

Roman's eyes flash with sadness. "Unfortunately, yes. But, while doing so, she saved so many other lives, including your father's," he points out. Before he says anything else, I hear him sharply take in a breath (like that makes much sense, he's dead). "I wish everything could have played out differently in our world. I'm sorry, Sky."

A bell rings, and I realize I'm back in the diner, without Roman, and the back of my throat burns like I swallowed hot coals. I sit back down at the table I was at, place my head in my hands, and let the tears that just wanted out fall freely.

**To be continued…**

Me: *Laughing like a maniac*

Sky: WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM!?

Me: *Stops laughing* What? Oh, don't worry, I though the last scene was sad too. I cried writing it. I'm only laughing because I let my mom read this (out loud), and she couldn't pronounce 'Ayame', and after I corrected her, she got all frustrated and said 'Fudo' all evil-like. It was just too funny.

Sky: Wait, your mom read this?

Me: Yeah. She likes reading what I write. Even if I have to clarify what's going on in it for about ten minutes.

Sky: *Shakes head* And she let you write it anyways…

Me: Yep! My mom is awesome!

Leo: Can I meet her?

Me: No.

Leo: Why?

Me: Because I said so. Anywho, I'm requesting reviews as always! They really encourage me to write… And, if I don't get any reviews for this chapter, none of you will get to see exactly which main characters die. Reviews give my muses the ideas for stories, and even more reviews give them the in-between bits. There's still a bit I need to work out in the next chapter…


	3. Chapter 2—Enter Satellite's Despair

**Thanks goes to PeaceLoveSonicandChao for reviewing the last chapter.**

**So, Rudolph decided to take a vacation and Lucy really wanted to write something (I had to keep her away from Blue Sky) and so this is being updated. I skipped a lot of in between bits of the other world because it pretty much goes the same way as it did in Blue Sky**

Disclaimer: Oh, it's probably a good thing I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5ds. I can't say the same for my OCs, though…

Warning: Well, one of the major character deaths is clearly stated in this chapter, and the other is hinted at, so… yeah. Prepare yourself. Also, **XXX** means a change between the real world and a scene, and _**~XXX~**_ means a scene change within one of the scenes. Finally, pretend that Yusei in the other world has had his Mark of the Dragon from birth, and Jack of that world hasn't.

Chapter 2

Someone—a man, by the sound of it—clears their throat. I sit up and wipe away some of my tears. A tray of food has been placed in front of me. "Here's your order," the man says.

I focus on the man next to me. He's wearing a lab coat over faded jeans and a black T-shirt. But that's not what makes me recognize him. His hair is the exact same icy-blue color as Kalin's. If this man hadn't spoken to me, and if his eyes were gold instead of brown, I would have thought that he actually is Kalin. "I didn't order anything, nor am I hungry," I say. "You must be mistaken, Mr. Kessler. You are Kalin's father, correct?"

The man smiles, and exact replica of the one Kalin would smile every time we'd walk away from a successful turf battle. "Please, call me Wyatt."

I look back at the plate. It holds some breakfast food—two pancakes, a few sausage patties, and some scrambled eggs. My stomach still feels like it's ready to return my last meal up the way it came. Not only that, but this whole thing is only happening in my head. Fantasizing about eating breakfast won't do me any good.

"Eat it, don't eat it, that's up to you," Mr. Kessler says. "Although, if I were you, I wouldn't eat too much of it."

_Well, one bite can't hurt._ I take a few bites out of a pancake, thinking about what he just said. "If the warning about how much of this I eat is because the scenes you're going to show me are gruesome or something, I think I can handle it. What could be worse than watching my mom die?"

He shrugs. "It's actually only one scene, and I might not even be the one that shows you it. But I could be, so that's why I warned you."

I put down my fork and pick up a cup of orange juice. "What are you going to show me then?"

"Mmm. Good question," he says. "I think it's like a catch-all between after the failed Zero Reverse and shortly after Yusei's 15th birthday."

"What happens then?"

"Oh, that world's you becomes a Signer," Mr. Kessler replies in this 'it's no big deal' tone.

As he says this, I happen to have been taking a sip from the orange juice. Needless to say, I do a totally clichéd spit-take all over the table and Mr. Kessler. I cough and splutter, trying to voice my confusion and get the juice out at the same time, and it takes me several moments before I manage to get out, "Are you serious?"

"Why don't you come find out?" Kalin's father stands up and leads me back to the door. This time, I don't need to close my eyes as I leave the diner and step into the white void. Then, unlike last time, where it felt like I was part of the scene that I watched, this time I'm in what appears to be a movie theatre, watching the scenes play out on screen.

**XXX**

_Dozens of Sector Security officers stand side by side, holding back a huge crowd of people along what is Satellite's shoreline in my world, but here it's still connected to the City._

_Fast forward, now the line of officers has been replaced by a wall, maybe twenty feet tall. On one side—the Satellite side—there are a bunch of people bearing Criminal Markers, but some that don't, and they're all gazing longingly at the wall. Two Sector Security officers yell at the people to get away from the wall. The people back away, and one of them without any Criminal Markers—a five-year-old kid, Kalin—says, "But my Mom is over there!" The officers scoff at him, and Kalin runs off._

_The scene switches over to Martha's house, where the five year old versions of Jack and Crow seem to be comforting Kalin. "I just wanted to see my Mom again," Kalin mutters. "Why didn't they believe me?"_

**XXX**

The screen turns black. "Wait, if Zero Reverse never happened, then they shouldn't be there."

"I wish that was the case," Mr. Kessler says. "In that world, everyone who was at or inside of a five-mile radius from the Reactor that fateful day, except for you, your father, Yusei, and Rex Goodwin, vanished without a trace. Crow's mother, both of Jack's parents, and that world's me were all in that category. Crow's mother lived near there, Jack's mom worked there with his dad visiting, and I worked there too."

_So… Our parents knew each other? How interesting… _"What about Kalin's mother and Crow's father?"

"Directly after the incident, no one was allowed to cross the line between Satellite and Neo Domino—not even if they were merely visiting a friend on one side but actually lived on the other. Kalin, unfortunately, was one that was trapped in Satellite because he was having a play-date at a friend's house. As for Crow's father, well… You'll find out about him later."

"Let me guess," I say, "you aren't allowed to tell me about him."

"You catch on quick."

My attention goes back to the screen.

**XXX**

_The amount of sunlight shows that it's mid-afternoon. A younger Yusei—maybe nine years old—walks next to that world's Sky Fudo, who is maybe seventeen. They're next to the wall that separates the City from Satellite, and they both have on black cloaks that hide their clothing._

_Sky stops, one hand on the wall. "Right here, Yusei," she says, "we'll be able to sneak into Satellite."_

"_And that means we can find Mom," Yusei says._

"_Yeah."_

"_Let's go then! We might not get another chance."_

_Sky nods, "We just have to be careful—the Duelists there are supposedly much better than most in the City, so we'll be in for a bigger challenge than normal." She mutters something, and the wall around and below her outstretched hand vanishes. Yusei dashes through, shortly followed by Sky, and the wall returns to normal._

**XXX**

"Do they not know she's dead?" I ask.

Mr. Kessler shakes his head. "Your father didn't have the heart to tell them. He told them that Ayame was merely trapped in Satellite, thinking they'd give up on seeing her or, if they tried looking for her, come back empty handed after a few months.

I look back at the screen. "I'm guessing that's far from what happened."

"Oh yeah."

**XXX**

_It's nighttime now, and their black cloaks blend in with the scenery even as they run for their lives from a Duel Gang. Beforehand, Sky and Yusei had agreed to only use their powers if it was absolutely necessary—the less attention, the better—so they could only run from their pursuers._

_The duo finds themselves in a wooded area. "Yusei, climb up one of these trees," Sky says, "no one ever thinks to look up." They climb up a large, sturdy-looking tree and hide within the leaves. Sky just starts to relax when…_

"_Hi ya, strangers! What'cha doin' up here?" a bubbly voice that sounds like it belongs to a young boy asks._

_Sky jerks backwards in surprise and slips off the branch. She barely manages to catch a lower one, and holds on to the branch (much like a child would cling to someone's leg) as quietly as she can as two members of the ticked-off Duel Gang show up. A few tense moments pass with Yusei holding a hand over the other kid's mouth and all three of the tree-bound people remain as still as possible before the two goons run off._

_Once she thinks it's safe, Sky pulls herself back up to a more comfortable position and nods to Yusei._

_Free to talk again, the energetic kid says, "Wow, those guys were after you? They're from the largest Duel Gang is Satellite! How'd you manage to piss them off?" He continues to chatter about various things relating to Duel Gangs._

"_Hey kid," Sky says, "could you stop talking and let us answer you?" The kid shuts up. "As for why they were chasing us, a large group of people dressed like them attacked us in an alley, and we fought back."_

"_With what?"_

"_We Dueled them," Yusei answers, "I think I beat four of them."_

_The orange-haired kid's eyes light up. "Really?"_

_Sky nods. "I lost count at seven. By the way, do you know of a place where we can stay?" It is a bit imposing—they only just met this boy—but he seems nice and obviously, they need to find somewhere safe to sleep while they're in Satellite._

"_Yes! I know the _perfect_ place; Martha always has room for more kids!" Once the three are back on the ground, the kid adds, "I'm Crow! What're your names?"_

"_I'm Sky," the golden-haired girl replies, "and this is my little brother Yusei."_

_The ginger nods and turns away. "Alright, Sky and Yusei, follow me! Martha's house is this way!" He waves at them to follow, and then runs off._

_Sky and Yusei exchange a look. Sky shrugs, what else could they do, and so they follow Crow out of the woods to a pretty big house. There's a light on inside, and Crow knocks on the door._

_A woman answers it. "Who is it?" She looks at Sky, then Yusei, and her eyes land on Crow. "Who is it you've brought this time?"_

_Crow grins wildly. "Hi Martha! These two are Sky and Yusei, and they single-handedly beat around half of Team No-Securities!"_

_It seems like Martha was going to respond, but two more boys squeeze through the doorway, the blonde boy declaring, "Not possible! I'm the only one good enough to do that!"_

_The other boy with icy-blue hair shouts, "Hey! I'm that good too, Jack! But he's right—no way you guys are that good!"_

"_You need proof?" Sky asks. "I'm up for another Duel. Yusei?"_

"_What's one more? I'll Duel."_

_The two challengers grin, and Jack says, "You better be ready to lose!"_

_**~XXX~**_

"Stardust Dragon,_ finish this Duel with _Cosmic Flare_!" Yusei declares. His dragon lets loose its attack on the blonde boy, thus winning the Duel for him and Sky._

_The blonde boy gets up off the ground, huffs in annoyance, and says, "You got lucky this time!"_

"_Nu-uh, they beat you fair and square," Crow says, crossing his arms and grinning at the angry boy._

"_Why you—"_

_Crow bolts for the house, with the blonde boy close in pursuit. The icy-blue haired boy says, "That was a good Duel! Sorry for doubting your abilities."_

"_It's alright," Yusei says. _

"_I'm Kalin, by the way," the kid says. "Jack's the blonde that ran after Crow. He doesn't like losing. Or Crow."_

_Sky laughs. "I'm guessing Crow doesn't like Jack either?"_

"_Nope."_

_Martha walks over. "Well, Yusei and Sky, it seems you've made an impression on the kids here. I'm guessing that Crow brought you here with the intention of me giving you a place to stay?"_

"_He did," Sky answers._

"_Then consider yourselves home."_

**XXX**

"We still end up at Martha's, then." Good, at least that's one thing that doesn't change. I really like Martha, and her house. And the fact that it came with Kalin, Jack, and Crow makes it so much better. Also, the way that other world's Sky and Yusei meet Crow doesn't really surprise me. Crow does like to climb trees. And it's true—no one ever thinks to look up.

"That's not all—the five of you still end up forming The Enforcers," Mr. Kessler says. "Satellite in that world is still plagued by Duel Gangs, and you still wanted it safer for everyone."

"Does the breakup of it happen the same?" I hope not. After all, my faked death was the cause of it. Well, that and Kalin going nuts.

"No. Well… kind of. No, you don't fake your death and Kalin doesn't go off the deep end, but yes, the gang splits up because of death," Mr. Kessler says.

I freeze. "Who… who dies?"

Mr. Kessler gives me a sad look. "I can't tell you, or show you the actual death scene—you won't see that for _much_ later—but I can show you the aftermath."

I bite my lower lip. I probably don't want to see it, but I have to. My curiosity is begging me to. "I… Show me."

**XXX**

**Third Person**

_In… out… in… out… Is that how it goes? Is that how she's supposed to breathe? Sky can't tell. She can't tell what's going on around her, even if she has a vague understanding of it. Nothing else is registering in her head. _His_ mark is on her arm, and _his_ cards are in her hand. Shouting… so loud… She covers her ears and screams; there's so much pain._

_And something snaps her attention back to the real world, heavy weight barreling against her. She flails around, screams, why won't they leave her alone? Her feet leave the ground—her captor has her. "PUT ME DOWN! LET ME GO!"_

_Then, her world brightens—if only for a second—when she hears someone shout, "YOU! Put my daughter down THIS INSTANT or else—"_

"_Or else what?" a heavily accented voice retorts. It's Jack… "She killed my friends! What else do I have to lose?"_

_At this, Sky wrenches one arm out of Jack's grip and elbows him in the face. Hard. Nothing makes any sense to her… But she had to get to her father. He had to know… Now free, she limps over to her father and wraps her arms around him. "Dad… Yusei… Yusei's gone…" She sobs, her entire body quivering violently._

"_What?" But Ryuu doesn't get an answer. Sky's world has already faded into unconsciousness._

**To be continued…**

Me: And that's where I leave it.

Everyone else: *Jaws open*

Me: Hey, the original last scene was longer, made a few more things clearer, and instead of being written third person limited from the other Sky's POV, it was third person limited Goodwin's POV (don't ask). But I like this ending better.

Sky: *Clenches fists* No wonder you wanted to keep the others away from this.

Me: Yeah… Crow and Jack would kill me, Yusei wouldn't really be able to do much of anything, and Akiza… *Shivers* I don't want to know what she would have done.

*Akiza and Yusei walk in room*

Akiza: What would I have done?

Me: *Eyes widen* OUT! NOW!

Yusei: Why? Oh… This is _that_ story, isn't it?

Akiza: What story?

Yusei: One that she doesn't want us looking at. For very good reasons.

Sky: Too late… I wish I could un-see this.

Me: I bet you would. Now Akiza and Yusei, leave before I let Lucy do something you.

*They leave*

Me: *Sighs* That was close…

Leo: I should go tell Akiza why you were so freaked out.

Me: And if you did…

*Flash of light, then a short girl with red eyes appears*

Lucy: What? What can I do?

Leo: *Backs away* Never mind…

Lucy: Dang it…

Sky: So, _you're_ the one responsible for this?

Me: Yes, she is. I would leave her alone. Anything someone says might give her evil ideas.

Lucy: You're no fun.

Me: I like my fictional characters alive… I know that's weird, considering the chapter, but it's true!

Sky: I seriously doubt it…

Me: Just stop talking already!

Lucy: OOOHHH! I HAVE AN IDEA!

Everyone: NOOO!

Me: Lovely… Before I have to go off and start ignoring Lucy, I'm going to request reviews! I really like them… And trust me, with reviews this story will get better. I promise. But no reviews equals no ideas (from me) which equals the story will probably get more evil, thanks to Lucy.


	4. Chapter 3—Denial and Betrayal

**Thanks goes to PeaceLoveSonicandChao for reviewing the last chapter**

**Rudolph is still who-knows-where, but then I came up with something for Blue Sky… And my main flashdrive went missing… So this is being updated, instead**

Disclaimer: I don't own 5Ds (but Lucy has a plan…) I own my OCs, though.

Warning: The major character deaths thing goes more in-depth here. And for the sake of me not having to write the change in POVs, just pretend that the scenes of the other world are in third person, and the parts where Sky is talking to whoever is there with her is in Sky's POV.

Chapter 3

The tears are back, and I just keep shaking my head. I don't believe what I just saw. Yusei… not even in another world… he _can't _be… And what Jack said when my father confronted him… _'She killed my friends!'_ "No… I-I would… I would nev-never…" And the full force of that hits, too. "Crow… and Kalin…"

Mr. Kessler looks at me, his eyes full of sympathy. "I can't show you anymore… or what actually happened there… But I can say that Kalin isn't dead in that world." And the bell dings again—just like it had when it had signaled Roman leaving—but I swear I heard Mr. Kessler say 'yet' the same moment the bell dinged.

A hand gently lands on my shoulder. "If you need a minute to absorb that, I'll let you." The voice belongs to a woman and when I look over, I have no doubt she's Crow's mother. The same grey eyes and orange hair (though a shade lighter) definitely gives that away.

I swipe my arm across my face. "No… I'd rather get the rest of this over with. I don't need a break."

She narrows her eyes at me. "Are you sure?" When I nod, she adds, "Alright. I'm Meridith Hogan. I'm sure you already guessed my last name, but it doesn't hurt to introduce myself."

"Well… I'd say it's nice to meet you, but…"

"I understand. Come on, then. The faster you finish this the faster you can get back to your own world."

**XXX**

"_I don't understand." Ryuu still can't grasp the reality in front of him. The reality of Sky being injured and unconscious in the hospital, and Yusei being dead—and, if the blonde teenager was to be believable, it's Sky's fault. In Satellite, he'd simply sat there for a few minutes, dumbfounded, while Rex had gone to investigate the scene. _

"_Until Sky wakes up, I don't know if anyone will understand," Goodwin says._

"_Well," a new voice from the doorway says, "I think that she should be waking up any second now." The voice belongs to Dr. Izumi, who is standing in the hospital room next to the open door._

_And, sure enough, a faint moan comes from Sky before she slowly sits up and opens her eyes. She looks at the three adults, confusion written all over her face. "Uh… Why am I in the hospital?"_

_Her father frowns. "You mean… you don't remember?"_

_Sky shakes her head. "The last thing I remember is going to return one of Crow's cards that he let me borrow during our last turf battle." She narrows her eyes. "Did something happen to my friends?"_

_Ryuu looked down. From what Rex had told him, the orange-haired teen was dead, and the other that looked strangely like Wyatt had refused to let anyone get near him. Other than that blonde teen, who had run off somewhere after speaking to the teen with icy-blue hair. "What were your friends' names?"_

"_Uh… There's Jack Atlas. He's got anger management issues, hates losing, egotistic, and also hates Crow. Then Crow Hogan. Crow likes to annoy the heck out of Jack, which ends up annoying everyone else. And Kalin Kessler—he's the leader of our Duel Gang." Sky gasps after she realizes something. "Wait… you said what _were_ my friends' names. Are… are they…?"_

_Ryuu makes a mental note about who he thinks each of her friends are. But when she asks about his use of past tense, he has to tell her the truth. "Crow is your orange-haired friend, right?" After Sky nods slowly, he adds, "I'm sorry, Sky. Crow was dead when we arrived to help."_

_Sky's face fills with shock and denial. "No… Nonononono… You're lying! Crow… Crow's the stubborn idiot who falls off of buildings and survives with not so much as a scratch! He can't be…" She blinks, tears falling down. "And… what about Jack and Kalin?"_

"_Kalin would not let me near him," Goodwin says. "He looked to be severely injured. Jack ran, well, limped away… after he said that what happened there was your fault."_

"_M-Mine? But I would never…" Sky puts a hand over her mouth, and her eyes widen. "Yusei! Where is he?!" she demands._

_Dr. Fudo looks away again. "We… we were hoping you could tell us. When... when we arrived, you escaped from Jack's grip, ran over to me, and before passing out you told me that Yusei was… gone."_

"_I told you that? No, I would remember." She stops, screams in pain, and holds her head. The telltale signs of a Fudo that just lost his or her sibling. "No… I would remember." She looks down at her right arm—the one not in a cast—and sees the Tail of the Dragon clear as day on it. "WHY DON'T I REMEMBER?!" And the adults—two with stunned looks on their faces and one with plain sorrow on it—watch as she breaks down into sobs._

**XXX**

"So… the other Sky doesn't remember what happened there." I think that might actually be something good. I wouldn't want to remember watching Yusei or any of my friends die. Of course, not remembering is torture of its own kind, so… It's like a lose-lose situation.

The orange-haired woman turns to face me. "No, and that will play a huge part later. But for now, we have to see the other side of the equation."

The other side…? "You mean what happens to Jack and Kalin, right?"

"Yes."

**XXX**

_Jack Atlas does not like to lose. Especially to a girl. Especially when that girl just killed at least one of his best friends. Especially when that girl was his friend. Except, the way the two men that had darted out of the alley glared at him, and the fact that his nose was a pile of mush and the back of his head wasn't faring much better meant that he had to retreat. But only after he found out how Kalin was._

_He didn't need to check on Crow—the instant his orange-haired friend landed right next to where he had tackled Sky, he knew that Crow was dead. _

_Keeping a cautious eye on the two men and Sky, Jack limped over to where Kalin was slouched against their hideout. Kalin's eyes were shut, but Jack could see that he was breathing. For now. "Kalin! Kalin, wake up!"_

_Kalin's eyes snap open. "I am awake, you idiot! Everything hurts, I can't really see straight and… I don't think I can move my legs."_

_Jack's seen enough movies and TV shows to know that he probably shouldn't move Kalin, but his friend definitely needs medical attention. "Kalin, I'm going to go get Martha and Dr. Schmidt. Just… hold on." He turns, where he can see that one of the men is near Crow and the other is holding Sky. Vowing to bring Sky to justice the next time he sees her, Jack runs as fast as he possibly can over to Martha's house._

_By the time he gets there, it's nearly one in the morning. It doesn't matter, though, since there is usually someone awake in Martha's house, no matter what time it is. And, when he knocks on the door, Martha answers. She looks at him for only a second before asking, "What happened to you?"_

"_Long story. Kalin needs help." Telling Martha what happened back there can wait—Kalin really needs help. "He's back at the hideout."_

"_Alright. I'll get Dr. Schmidt and we'll go help Kalin."_

_Jack shakes his head. "I'm not going back there. You two go ahead. Just… prepare yourself." He limps inside to the couch and lies down. Almost seconds later, he falls asleep._

_**~XXX~**_

_Jack bolts upright in bed. Wait, a bed? He'd fallen asleep on the couch, hadn't he? And the memories of last night flood his brain. Jack clenches his fist. Sky _will_ pay for this. _

"_Well, I was wondering what you'd wake up," Kalin says from another bed in the room. "You've been out for like, a week."_

"_A week?" _

_The golden-eyed teen nods. "Dr. Schmidt said something about you having a severe head injury. You're lucky you even woke up. Of course…" Kalin trails off, looks away, and adds, "You're in a much better position than I am."_

_Before Jack asks what he means by that, the door creaks open and Dr. Schmidt walks in. "Oh, you're awake Jack. That's good."_

"_What's going on?" Jack shouts and flinches backwards, the loudness of his own voice making his head hurt._

"_You have a serious head injury, a broken nose, and several bones in your left foot are broken. I'm surprised you managed to walk all the way here." He pauses and lets this sink in. "You won't be leaving that bed anytime soon. And Kalin won't either."_

_Now Jack remembers what Kalin had said. "Kalin said I'm in a better position than he is. From what I can see, he's much less injured than I am."_

_The doctor frowns. "Yes, about that… You did Kalin a favor, not carrying him over here yourself. If you had, it would have only made the damage worse. Nevertheless, Kalin's spinal cord broke during whatever happened there. He… won't ever be able to walk again."_

**XXX**

The scene ends, and I'm left even more shocked than I already am. "Wait… Kalin… Kalin can't walk?" This scene makes it a bit clearer on the fact that it's the other Sky's fault. An injury like that… What on Earth did she do?

"No. And that, too, will play a huge role later on," Meridith answers.

I think I've reached my breaking point. "Okay, I know you're trying to help in some bizarre way, but why can't I get a stinking straight answer here? Pretty much everything has been 'I can't tell you' or foreshadowing to something! I'm absolutely _sick of it!_" I start breathing heavily, my outburst having caused my heart rate to go up.

Meridith shrugs. "I know you're tired of it, but unfortunately, it's the rule here. There's no point of throwing a temper tantrum. It just wastes time. Time that could have been spent showing you another scene and as such getting you closer to going home."

I bite my lip, trying to hold in a scream of frustration. "Fine. On to the next scene, then."

**XXX**

_Three months, twelve days. That's how long she's been back in the City for. That's how long ago her brother and one of her friends died. And, supposedly, it's her fault. But Sky honestly doesn't know what the truth is, since she doesn't remember, and the only other people who were there that night live in Satellite. Not only is it illegal for her to go over there, but Sky is horribly afraid to confront her ex-best friends._

_She looks down; in front of her crossed legs are two Decks. Her father had signed her up to participate in a tournament that is today. A distraction is probably what Sky needs. Something to get her mind off the past. But how is it possible when one of the Decks in front of her was given (she doesn't think she stole it from him, the cards feel like she's now their rightful owner) to her by her brother?_

_And she doesn't want to ignore that Deck, either. It feels like she would be disrespecting Yusei while doing so. Maybe she could combine the cards to form one Deck? Tag Duels with Yusei as her partner always went well for them, so how would combining the Decks be any different? Besides, several of her old classmates from Duel Academy are in the tournament, and they know her strategies. Mixing it up would give her the advantage._

_In going through the two Decks to see which cards she wouldn't use, she finds _D.D. Crow_ and almost starts crying for the umpteenth time in the past three and a half months. This was the card Crow had given her to use in the last Turf Battle, and the card she went to return, and right before talking to Crow about returning it is where her memory cuts off. There was no way this card was leaving her Deck. _

_She finishes going through it and smiles for the first time in months. Sky would win the tournament. Of that, she had no doubt. And she would use the help of Yusei and Crow to do it._

_**~XXX~**_

"_Well, look who finally crawled out of her hole in the ground?" a voice sneers. _

_Sky whips around—it's her rival from Duel Academy, Akira. He flaunts his dark green hair in a fashion similar to Jack, and his brown eyes flash with utter distaste. She never liked him and he never liked her. And they were facing of in the final round right now. "Save the trash talk for after I defeat you, Akira."_

_At this Akira smirks. "Who said you would win?"_

"_You stand no chance against me," Sky replies. After all, she was the one that had been in Satellite for six years, where you practically Dueled for your life at least four times a week. "Now, let's do this thing!"_

_**Akira's Life Points: 4000, Sky's Life Points: 4000**_

"_I'll be going first," Sky announces as she draws her card. She bites the inside of her lip—one of the cards in her hand is _D.D. Crow._ Then she blinks, snapping out of it. "I activate my Spell_ Reincarnation of Hope_, which lets me discard two monsters from my hand now, and two turns later I can add one from my Deck to my hand." Sky discards _Sonic Chick_ and Celestial Knight-Venus._

_Knowing Akira's strategies, he would probably aim for one of his Ally of Justice Synchro monsters, most likely _Catastor. _So whipping out _Quasar_ might not be a good idea. However… "I Summon the Tuner _Celestial Knight-Star, _and through her effect, I bring back_ Celestial Knight-Venus! _But they won't be staying long, since they'll be going into a Synchro Summon! I Tune my two Level 4 monsters together!"_

'Help me, Yusei,'_ she thinks. _"Clustering wishes will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! _Synchro Summon! Take flight, _Stardust Dragon!" _And her brother's dragon appears next to her, to the shock of most of the people in the stadium. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."_

_**Stardust Dragon ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, Level 8**_

_Akira snarls. "I don't know how you got that card, but I do know that I will destroy it. I draw! I Summon _Necro Gardna_ in Defense Mode. Then I'll play _Double Summon_ and add my own Tuner _Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator _to the field."_

_**Necro Gardna ATK: 600, DEF: 1300, Level 3; Ally of Justice Cyclone Creator ATK: 1400, DEF: 1200, Level 3**_

"_Then, I'll activate another Spell, _Dampen Ally!_ This card decreases the level of one Ally monster I control by one. With _Cyclone Creator_ now Level 2, I Tune him with Level 3 _Necro Gardna_ in order to Synchro Summon _Ally of Justice Catastor!

_**Ally of Justice Catastor ATK: 2200, DEF: 1200, Level 5**_

"_Not done yet, I activate my Field Spell _Mystic Plasma Zone_! This gives all DARK monsters an extra 500 ATK, with the reduction of 400 DEF. _Catastor_, take out that dragon!" Akira orders. Sky counters with _Scrap-Iron Scarecrow._ "Grr… I end my turn."_

"_It's my turn!" Sky draws. The card is _Stardust Flash,_ which she sets and ends her turn._

_Akira draws. "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn." Not much he could do with only one monster, but he had a plan to get rid of _Stardust Dragon.

"_My turn!" The card she draws is _Speed Warrior_. _

"_Before you do anything, I activate _DNA Transplant!_ This makes all monsters on the field LIGHT-Attributed!" And right when he does, he realizes his mistake. He's not dealing with _Celestial Dragon-Quasar; _he's dealing with _Stardust Dragon.

_Sky smiles. "I Summon _Speed Warrior_ in Attack Mode! Now, on the turn he's Summoned, his Attack Points are doubled." _

_**Speed Warrior ATK: 1800, DEF: 400, Level 2**_

"_Perfect! Now, _Stardust Dragon_, attack his _Ally of Justice Catastor!_ Go, _Cosmic Flare!_" she shouts, and her dragon lets out a powerful blast of light._

"_I activate the effect of _Necro Gardna_ in my Graveyard: by banishing him, I can negate your attack!" Akira says._

"_And I chain the effect of the _D.D. Crow_ in my hand," Sky counters. "I discard _D.D. Crow_ to banish your _Necro Gardna_ before his effect can work. That means _Stardust_ can continue to attack."_

_Akira groans. "When _Catastor_ battles a LIGHT-Attributed monster, that card is destroyed at the start of the Damage Step, without applying Damage Calculation."_

"_And _Stardust Dragon's_ ability, _Victim's Sanctuary_ activates as a chain," Sky says. "I release _Stardust Dragon _to negate your card's effect and destroy it." Both cards vanish. "Now, _Speed Warrior_, attack him directly!" _Speed Warrior_ slams his foot into Akira, knocking the Duelist to the ground._

_**Akira's Life Points: 2200**_

"_Now I activate my Trap _Stardust Flash!_ This lets me revive _Stardust Dragon_ before the End Phase during the turn I used its effect." The silver dragon comes back. "End this Duel, _Stardust!_ Attack him directly with _Cosmic Flare!_" This time, the blast hits its target._

_**Akira's Life Points: 0. Winner: Sky**_

_**~XXX~**_

"_Congratulations on your victory today, Sky," Izumi says to her niece. It definitely was nice to see the younger woman out and about and not crying over everything. Izumi has long passed her own stages of grief, but she has been worried about Sky and her father._

"_It really was nothing," Sky shrugs it off._

"_If you say so." Izumi shakes her head—she needs to ask the question, and now. "Sky, I need you to come to Satellite with me." Well, not a question, but close enough._

_Sky whips around, furious. "Why would I go back there?"_

"_I just… when you described your friends one of them sounded really familiar." The truth of that would come later. "Rex has managed to get me permission to go to Satellite, but only if you come with me."_

_Sky looks away. "Fine. I'll go, but only because you're my aunt and I owe you a favor. And I'm not showing my face there."_

_Inwardly, Izumi sighs, relieved. "Thank you, Sky."_

**To be continued…**

Me: And that's where I shall end this chapter.

Sky: *Shakes head* This is almost as bad as the last chapter.

Leo: I bet it's worse than the last one for Kalin.

Me: Probably. And I'm just writing what Lucy tells me to. Speaking of Lucy, the idea she came up with has nothing to do with Sky…

Sky: Yes!

Me: …But it's still a 5Ds fan fiction.

Everyone else: Darn it.

Me: Sorry, Lucy happens to like 5Ds a lot. And besides, that story won't go up until after I finish Blue Sky, so… You guys are safe for now.

Sky: Since when are we safe when you are involved?

Me: Uh… *Shrugs* Well, I'm going to my first football game and we'll be preforming some of our show. I'm really excited to be able to march in a real stadium.

Luna: Good luck, then!

Me: Thanks! I'll probably need it. Anywho, I will request reviews as always. They let me know that people actually read it! I'll thank PeaceLoveSonicandChao again for reviewing (seriously, I can't thank you enough). I'll be back—hey, what's this? *Reaches down and picks something up off of the floor* HAH! It's my main flashdrive! *Looks at clock* Rats, I'll have to work on Blue Sky tomorrow…


	5. Chapter 4—A Fortunate Meeting

**Thanks goes to PeaceLoveSonicandChao and Eunice Pacheco for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Sorry Blue Sky fans, my friend's evil muses and Lucy decided to collaborate on a story, and all of the evil bits we were throwing into it kind of made Rudolph go into a 'hide in the corner' mode. So you're just going to have to deal with this for now**

Disclaimer: It's probably a good thing I don't own this... Too bad for my OCs though...

Warning: Pretty much the same as that of the last chapter.

Chapter 4

_As soon as they get into Satellite, Sky knows she's made a mistake. She shouldn't have agreed to come. But it was too late to back out, so she simply pulls her hood higher on her head and shows her aunt where Martha's house is. She hopes that Jack and Kalin are there, and at the same time she hopes they aren't. What if they figure out who she is? Sky certainly isn't ready for that conversation yet._

_The two near the orphanage, and they can hear the noise of children laughing and it sounds like a Duel is in progress. Sure enough, in the backyard Jack and Kalin seem to be Dueling each other. Neither of them have any monsters on the field. But Sky can't pay attention to the Duel. All she can focus on is the fact that Kalin is in a wheelchair, and there is a jagged silver scar across Jack's nose and right cheek. Her stomach fills with unease. Just what had she caused?_

_Izumi takes in a sharp breath and steps forward, drawing in the attention of the kids and the two Duelists. Her eyes stay on Kalin the whole time. "Um... Hi... My name is Izumi... Kessler." And everything goes downhill from there._

_For a few seconds, Kalin just sits there. Then, he says, "Mom?"_

_Izumi smiles. "Oh Kalin, you have-"_

_Kalin cuts her off. "What are you doing here? And why _now_ of all times?"_

_"I didn't know you were even alive until Sky came back..."_

_Mentioning Sky was not the best idea in the world. Kalin's face instantly fills with anger. "You've seen that backstabbing traitor?!"_

_Izumi looks at the hooded Sky. Sky just stands there, absorbing everything. Kalin is her cousin... And it seems he also hates her. _

_Izumi continues. "What did she do?"_

_Jack steps in. "She killed Crow, did this to my face," he gestures to the scar, "and she's the reason Kalin's in that wheelchair. She broke his spinal cord when her powers tossed us around like f***ing rag dolls."_

'I did that_?' Sky thinks. '_But.._. _Why_?' _

_"No," Izumi says. "Sky would never do something like that."_

_Kalin clenches his fists. "Yeah, well that's what we thought and look where it got us?" He starts turning away. "I don't want to talk anymore. Go back to the City, or whatever."_

_Sky looks at her old friend in shock. The last thing he said didn't sound anything like the Kalin she remembers. But she can't follow up on that, because a painful jolt runs through her head. She takes out a plain white envelope. Now is probably the best time to give it to him... "Jack!" she calls._

_The blonde stiffens and turns back around, just in time to catch the envelope that Sky threw at him. "Sky..." he says, anger laced in his voice._

_"Everything you need to know right now is in there," Sky says, and turns away. "Come on, Izumi. We're leaving." And before Jack could get over to her and demand answers to exactly what he wants to know, Sky activates _Teleport_ to go back home."_

**XXX**

My mind is running about a thousand miles a second right now, trying to understand what I just saw. Kalin is my... cousin?! And... "What was in that envelope?" I ask. It seems to be important.

"Oh, quite a bit of stuff," Meridith answers. "But why don't you just watch and see what happens?"

"So, I'm going to watch a bunch of back and forth stuff, aren't I?" It's nice to see the different point of views, but none of it is really helping much.

Meridith shrugs. "I guess so."

**XXX**

_He stares at the envelope like it is going to attack him when he opens it. What is in here that Sky doesn't just talk to him about? After all, Jack knows Sky to be a rather brave woman, despite what happened several months ago. He sighs and tears it open. Out falls a letter and a Duel Monsters card. Jack turns the card over. It's _Red Dragon Archfiend_. Then he opens the letter and reads off the familiar handwriting._

_Dear Jack,_

_You probably hate my guts right now, so it won't surprise me if this letter ends up in pieces. And this letter probably won't do much to change that hatred. What I can say here is that three years from now, at midnight, you will be able to pass through the wall. You remember the spot Yusei and I showed you guys after Yusei accidentally revealed his powers? That's where you'll be able to get through. That _Red Dragon Archfiend_ is the key to being able to get through the wall. Once in the City, you'll meet one of my friends. She will help you hide from Sector Security. After all, you aren't legally entering Neo Domino. More instructions will follow once you meet my friend._

_Sincerely,_

_Sky Fudo_

_Jack crumples the letter in his fist. He can't wait that long to confront her. Three years? Why would she even be planning that far ahead? Then he looks at the card. A Level 8 Synchro Monster like this one seems like it would be rare. Why have this card as the key, though? There is an abundance of other cards or even objects she could have used. What makes this one so special?_

_A jolt of pain runs through his right arm, and he watches the faint outline of a weird v-shaped mark appear on it. Then, it disappears just as quickly. He frowns. '_Sky has a_ great deal of_ explaining to do in three years_.' This had to have something to do with her, anyways. While he doesn't like it, Jack has to be patient._

**XXX**

"So that's how Jack gets _Red Dragon Archfiend _in that world... and a way to get into the City," I say. I guess this is a much better way for him getting to the City. I mean, in my world he kind of betrayed Yusei. Honestly though, I have no idea how Jack got his Signer Dragon in my world. "Who was the friend referred to in the letter?"

"Mmm, well, pretty much everyone you've met in your world meets the other you, just under extremely different circumstances," Meridith replies. "Try guessing."

I narrow my eyes. Who do I know that hasn't been introduced yet? "Hmm, Akiza?"

"Nope."

"Drat." My reasoning with that was that Akiza has to come in at some point in the story. That, and she kind of does have a lot in common with me. "Misty?" Maybe I don't know Misty very well, but it would make sense for the other me to know Misty. If I see it correctly, I'm popular (and rich) in that world, and Misty is famous.

"Still no. But you're getting closer."

_'Closer?' _So how is Misty closer than Akiza? And the answer hits me. "Carly. My friend is Carly."

Meridith grins and it kind if unnerves me because it's that same exact grin I'm used to seeing on Crow. "Bingo."

"Alright, so how do I end up friends with Carly?"

**XXX**

_After returning to the City, Sky wants to be alone. So she simply walks off, with her hood pulled up and sunglasses on, so the paparazzi doesn't recognize her. Sky walks through alley after alley, trying to get to her favorite spot to think. But she stops when, in one alley she was going to cross through, she sees two men with Criminal Markers pretty much ganging up on a young dark-haired woman that has on an odd pair of glasses. One man has what appears to be a camera, and the other has the young woman's purse._

_"Hey!" Sky shouts. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size? Leave that girl alone!"_

_The men jerk their attention to Sky, and then laugh. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?" Because by no means is Sky anywhere close to 'their own size'._

_"This." Sky whips out her Duel Disk and Summons _Celestial Knight-Pluto. _And guess what? The knight in black armor is the exact same size as the two thugs. "Now, I suggest you give the young lady back her things, or else _Pluto_ here will attack." To get her full point across, she has _Pluto_ use his sword to smash a crate that is next to the two men, and then pulls back her hood._

_The men back away slowly. "I-I'm sorry Miss Fudo!" one man mutters, handing the camera back to the young woman before running off._

_"H-Hey! Wait for me!" The other guy drops the purse and flees in pursuit of his friend._

_With them out of sight, and not wanting to chase after them, Sky pulls her hood back up and dematerializes her monster. She walks through the alley, past the dark haired woman (who wasn't doing anything other than stare at Sky), and doesn't say anything. Eventually, Sky gets to the place she wants to be. The roof of Sky Tower. Sure, it technically isn't the most private of places because it is open to the public and certainly isn't the tallest building in Neo Domino, but no one ever really goes to the roof. _

_Or at least, that's what she thought until, just as she goes to rest in a small niche she made for herself, someone clears their throat. "Umm..."_

_Sky looks up. It's the woman from the alley. "Do you need something?"_

_"Well... I guess... I just want to thank you. You know, for saving my camera and purse from those guys." She rubs the back of her head. "If I lost my camera... Well that would pretty much throw my dreams of being a full-fledged reporter out the window." The woman sticks out a hand. "I'm Carly."_

_Sky takes hold of the hand. "Well, I'm pretty sure you know who I am, so... I guess there isn't any point in introducing myself. And... you're welcome." Then she tenses up, several extremely blurry images running in front of her vision. But the clearest one is that of Carly bumping into Jack... And it's obvious that both of them are in the City. Sky can use this. She hadn't clarified who Jack would meet, anyways. "Actually, I would like to ask you for a favor."_

**XXX**

"I can see that actually happen," I say, nodding in approval to what I just watched. Of all the horrifying scenes I've seen, this one is the most plausible to happen, at least that's what I think.**  
**

"Really?"

"Yeah. Carly _is_ rather clumsy, and her nearly getting robbed doesn't surprise me."

"Alright," Meridith says. "Let's see what's next... I believe there is a huge time jump in here."

I raise an eyebrow. "What happened during this time jump?"

Meridith shrugs. "Nothing of importance. Now... You get to see Jack enter the City."

**XXX**

_Jack stares back at Satellite. He's ready to go to the City. He'd already said goodbye to Kalin and Martha, both of whom had wished him good luck in return. Jack turns around to face the wall, the card that Sky had called a key in hand. "What am I supposed to do?"_

_There didn't seem to be a place to put the card, and Sky's instructions as to what would happen _were_ rather vague. But only seconds after Jack raises the card up, the wall vanishes in front of him. Not the entire wall, but enough for him to be able to duck through._

_So he does just that, without looking back, and runs into the bright color that is Neo Domino City._

**_~XXX~_**

_Hours have passed since Jack entered Neo Domino City, and he's starting to get annoyed. He hasn't seen anyone that recognized him—after all, wouldn't Sky have told the person he was supposed to meet what he looked like? And then he hears someone running up behind him. Jack stops running and spins around. "Who are you?" he demands._

_"Hah! I thought it was you!" the person exclaims. "I thought Sky was lying when she said you would end up here." The woman pauses for a second. "I'm Carly Carmine. Sky told me that I was to, and I quote, 'Keep Jack out of sight from Sector Security. Your apartment will do.' Then she said that you would end up at this very spot sometime over night, and I've been out here for what feels like forever..."_

_Jack stiffens when he hears the name of his ex-friend-turned-murderer used twice by someone he doesn't even know, especially when she said her name in a cheerful type way. "Look, I'm going with you," Jack says. "But only because Sky owes me answers, and she told me that more instructions will come at your place."_

_Carly smiles. "I know, Sky gave me this box a while ago and said to give it to you. It's at my apartment."_

_Then sirens roar near them, but they don't stop to arrest Jack. Instead, they continue on past._

_"We should probably go before we get arrested," Carly says._

**_~XXX~_**

_Carly plops the box down on her table. She'd wanted to open the mysterious box herself, but Sky had specifically told her that Jack was the one that had to open it. So Carly had waited. And she really wanted to see what was in that box._

_But it wasn't anything important. There was money, some clothes fit for an upper-class Neo Domino citizen, and a letter._

_Dear Jack,_

_Good, you've made it to the city. I hope that Carly didn't get you into trouble. Now, this letter won't be very long. The money in this box is for you to buy a Duel Runner. The clothes are for you to blend in better here in Neo Domino (and I believe they fit your ego nicely). You're going to need a Duel Runner if you are going to participate in the Fortune Cup. You should already know how to Turbo Duel._

_As for why you should participate in the Fortune Cup, the winner gets to Duel me. After our Duel, I will answer your questions to the best of my ability. I hope to see you soon._

_Sincerely,_

_Sky Fudo_

**_~XXX~_**

_Sure enough, Jack won the Fortune Cup. He beat Hunter Pace with ease, held some difficulty against Greiger, and narrowly evaded defeat in a Duel against Akiza (of course, he _was_ in pain for pretty much the entire Duel, between the strange mark appearing on his arm and Akiza's psychic powers). And he was ready for his Duel against Sky. _

**To be continued...**

Me: Oh yeah, because this story is going on before a few new parts I've added in Blue Sky, just pretend that Sky doesn't remember a lot of what she saw in the other world, especially the whole Kalin-Izumi thing (actually, that's exactly how it's going to be. So don't pretend, just think it as fact). Also, I'm sorry for skipping around a bit. I just _really_ want to get to the good parts.

Sky: I don't. Add more filler parts.

Me: No! I've already decided an awesome way for Yusei and Crow to die! And it's in the next chapter!

Leo: Really?

Me: *Nods* Oh yeah. Now, I'm not going to be able to update very often because of school and my extracurricular activities (seriously, I'm busy every single day of the week except Monday). And if I don't get any reviews, that will just make me take even _more_ time before I update again. Once again, I thank PLSAC and Eunice Pacheco for reviewing the last chapter.

Leo: Hey, where is Lucy?

Me: NO! DON'T SAY HER NAME!

Lucy: *Appears* ...So then why won't you let me kill Natsu?

Me: *Sigh* Because, for the last time, I'm letting you kill of Sheri!

Lucy: No fair! That was Trey's idea!

Sky: ...Uh, what?

Me: Natsu and Sheri are going to be main characters in the story I mentioned at the start of the chapter. This is not going to be a fanfiction, so any affiliation with the names and some anime would be my friend's fault. She named them. And Trey is one of her evil muses.

Lucy: *In a whiny voice* But I really want to kill of Natsu!

Me: NO! You want to be destructive, go set Crow's head on fire!

Lucy: *Big grin* YES! I FINALLY HAVE PERMISSION! *Vanishes*

*Muffled scream from elsewhere*

Sky: Why would you do that?

Me: Because Eunice Pacheco gave me permission to do so in a PM, therefore I extended the permission to Lucy.

Sky: *Facepalm* I can't believe you have a reviewer that would say that...

Me: Eh, I'm cool with that.

*More screaming, followed by a rather loud DESTRUCTION BY FIRE! MUHAHAHAH!*

Me: Crud... I'll go deal with her. Does anyone have a large stick I can borrow? Leave it for me in a review, please. Water would be useful, too.


	6. Chapter 5—Fated Duel

**Thanks goes to PeaceLoveSonicandChao and Eunice Pacheco for reviewing the last chapter**

**Oh, looks like I lied in the last chapter. Yusei and Crow will die in chapter 6, simply because I wrote most of the Duel between Jack and Sky, a Duel that happens in a flashback, and the death scenes, and it was over 5000 words long. I don't want my chapters that long, because I just love to torture you guys with cliffhanger goodies!**

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds. I do, however, own Sky and all of the cards she uses in this chapter.

Warning: Meh. There might be some slight changes to the Crimson Dragon story. Maybe some OOC as well.

Chapter 5

"So, I basically became Goodwin," I say after watching all of the scenes and the mini one that covered the Fortune Cup.

"Hmm. I didn't see it that way," Meridith says. "But now that you mention it, yeah. You kind of pulled a Goodwin on Jack."

'I laugh, because that line sounds like something Crow would say, and he doesn't even need to try to be hilarious. Sometimes, I just don't take my orange-haired friend seriously. And his mother appears to have the same effect on me.

That's when I realize something. The other Jack Dueled everyone that Yusei had in the Fortune Cup, so that means that the other Sky is the one that replaces Jack as the champion that is supposed to lose. "Hey, in the Duel, does the other me lose?" I ask. I explain my reasoning to Meridith.

"Ah, kind of. It's best if you just watch."

**XXX**

_"Umm, I hope you don't mind me asking, but..." Carly trails off for a second and adds, "Why do you want to Duel Sky so badly?" She's talking to Jack, whose Duel with Sky starts in five minutes. And Carly isn't oblivious to the way Jack's been acting. She's watched him tense up with anger every time someone mentions Sky, but just hasn't wanted to push the matter before now._

_"I have a score to settle with her," he says. "And the reason why is none of your business."_

_"Sorry for asking..." This just makes Carly want to know what happened even more. "I'll be in the stands with Leo and Luna," she says. "Good luck Jack." Carly turns and leaves the room._

_**~XXX~**_

_Sky watches as Jack comes over to the Duel Field. At her request, the Duel was to be on the ground. Even though she had all but forced Jack to buy a Duel Runner, it was more for him to Duel his opponents in the tournament with. She tried, but still can't bring herself to get on a Duel Runner, much less Turbo Duel. Yusei had spoken so highly of the machines..._

_"I'm ready to take you down Sky!" Jack declares. "And then I'll make sure to tell everyone here exactly what you've done!"_

_"Let's get this started then," Sky says. No need to waste time trading insults. "I'm letting you go first."_

**_Jack's Life Points: 4000, Sky's Life Points: 4000_**

_"I'm starting this Duel off by Summoning _Dark Resonator_ in Defense Mode," Jack says. "I'll then place two cards face-down and end my turn."_

**_Dark Resonator ATK: 1300, DEF: 300, Level 3_**

_"My move then!" Sky draws her card. "Prepare yourself Jack. I've got a big combo ready to strike right now. By discarding _Quillbolt Hedgehog_, I can Special Summon _Quickdraw Synchron_. Then, because I have a Tuner on my field, I can bring back the monster I just discarded. And why not let another monster join the fun? I Summon _Level Eater_! But they won't be staying long. I tune my Level 5 _Quickdraw Synchron_ with my Level 2 _Quillbolt Hedgehog_ and Level 1 _Level Eater_!"_

_The monster dressed like a cowboy aims its gun at a card that appeared in the air. The monster fires, and a hole appears in the card. Then the monster turns into five green rings that circle around the hedgehog and small bug._

"When the world falls into darkness, a hero shall emerge to restore the light! Synchro Summon! Bring forth hope, Celestial Warrior-Hikari!"_ Sky chants._

**_Celestial Warrior-Hikari ATK: 2700, DEF: 1000, Level 8_**

_A woman in pure white armor appears, brandishing a sword that gives off a light yellow glow. Her armor is adorned with several clear gems near her shoulders, on the back of her wrists, and on her boots._

_"_Celestial Warrior-Hikari_, attack that monster with _Hope Ray_!"_

_After a blast of light from the sword strikes Dark Resonator, it kicks up a cloud of dust. When it settle, the attacked monster is still there. "Did you forget about _Dark Resonator's_ ability?" Jack asks. "Once per turn, he can't be destroyed in battle."_

_Sky smiles. "I didn't forget. _Celestial Warrior-Hikari's_ ability destroys any monster she battles with but doesn't destroy at the end of the Battle Phase. This ability lasts during your turn as well, and even if one of your monsters destroys her." _Dark Resonator_ shatters as _Hikari_ slams her sword into him. "Now, I'll set one card face-down and send my turn."_

_"It's my turn!" Jack says. He glares at Sky's monster. "I won't stand for that thing being Summoned with Yusei's cards. I activate my first face-down card, _Powerful Rebirth_! This Trap allows me to bring back _Dark Resonator_ with a little bit of a power boost. I'll then add _Mad Archfiend_ to the field in Attack Mode! Now, Level 4 _Dark Resonator_, tune with Level 4 _Mad Archfiend!_"_

_Sky rubs her arm as a faint twinge of pain runs through it. She knows what card is coming next, and it's exactly what she wants._

"The ruler's heartbeats will now file through here! Take witness to its creation-shaking power! Synchro Summon! My very soul, Red Dragon Archfiend!"_ Jack chants._

**_Red Dragon Archfiend ATK: 3000, DEF: 2000, Level 8_**

_The red demonic dragon appears in flames and snarls menacingly at Sky. "Take out that monster of hers with _Absolute Powerforce!_" Jack shouts. The dragon's claws envelop in flames and slash through the knight._

**_Sky's Life Points: 3700_**

_"_Hikari's_ ability activates and destroys your dragon," Sky says. A large ball of light starts forming under _Red Dragon Archfiend_._

_"Not so fast! I activate a Continuous Trap, _Dimension Switch_! This card lets me banish my dragon, which gets him around your monster's ability," Jack counters._

_Sky frowns, and then smiles. "Alright. And I suppose you will send _Dimension Switch_ to the Graveyard to bring back your dragon?"_

_Jack narrows his eyes at Sky, and does exactly what she said. "That ends my turn."_

_"My move!" Sky shouts and draws her card. "I activate my face-down, _Wicked Rebirth_! This lets me revive my Synchro at the cost of 800 Life Points."_

**_Sky's Life Points: 2900_**

_Jack snarls as Sky continues, "And now I activate a Spell, _Re-Synchro_! This lets me send a Synchro Monster on my field to my Graveyard, and in return I Summon a different one that is the same Level as it from my Extra Deck. And I choose..." Her mark lights up and burns, and so does Jack's. "_Stardust Dragon_!"_

**_Stardust Dragon ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, Level 8_**

_"How dare you use that card?!" Jack growls. "_Stardust Dragon_ doesn't belong to you!"_

_Sky's gut fills with unease. She knows the card doesn't belong to her, at least not truly, _Stardust Dragon_ will always belong to Yusei. But the Mark on her arm means that _Stardust_ is hers. And Yusei is dead. So, Jack is wrong, isn't he? "I… I activate the Spell _Wrath of Light_! By banishing a Celestial monster in my Graveyard, I can grant that monster's Attack Points to one face-up monster I control until the End Phase. So, _Stardust Dragon_ is 2700 points stronger!"_

**_Stardust Dragon ATK: 5200_**

Celestial Warrior-Hikari_ returns to the field, though transparent. She tosses her sword over to _Stardust Dragon_, who catches it. _Hikari_ nods, and then vanishes into a vortex of black clouds. The sword continues to glow, though the glow has taken on a red tint._

_Lighting flashes, and both Duelists as well as everyone else in the stadium look up. Purple clouds have gathered above them, and they are the source of the lightning. Sky starts nodding. Everything is going exactly as she was told it would. Now, all she had to do is have _Stardust Dragon_ battle with_ Red Dragon Archfiend_. So… "_Stardust Dragon_, attack _Red Dragon Archfiend_! Go now, with _Cosmic Hope Slash_!"_

_Her Tail of the Dragon glows brighter, and everything turns black._

**_~XXX~_**

_There are five people in the dreary black landscape. All of them surrounded in their own crimson bubbles, their arms glowing with a similar color. And there are two dragons their with them. Sky knows some of what is going on, but there is one there who would know everything. And he owes her answers. "Rex!" she says, turning to face the other Signers. "I gathered the others for you. Now, what is going on here?"_

_"This is..." he starts to answer._

_The ground underneath the five suddenly isn't black. Instead, there is a scene playing out. There are five people standing on the steps of a tall temple, their arms with similar markings to those watching this scene. At the base of the temple are people dressed exactly like those with the Marks of the Dragon, with their strange robes, and they are kneeling._

_"What is this?" Jack demands._

_"Like I was trying to say before," Rex Goodwin says, "this is what being a Signer means." He pauses for a second. "Thousands of years ago, there lived a group of people called the People of the Stars. They worshiped a great red star, known as the Crimson Star, and called upon it for guidance. You see, there was an evil force plaguing their land. The Crimson Star left the sky and transformed into a dragon, the Crimson Dragon. The Crimson Dragon then split itself into five different dragons, and marked five humans with the ones that we have. Together, the humans and the five dragons defeated the darkness, a deity known as Red Nova, and the Crimson Dragon fell into a great slumber."_

_"What... What the h*** does this have to do with anything?!" Jack says, clearly frustrated._

_Goodwin's eyes flicker with amusement. "You will see. And the story does not end there. 5000 years later, the darkness rose again, this time in the form of many different beasts the size of skyscrapers. They were called the Earthbound Immortals. Now, the Crimson Dragon was not going to sit by and do nothing. It came back to earth and once again split into five dragons, although one of the dragons from the original battle had been excluded, replaced by another. The dragons and the Immortals fought, and the Immortals lost. They were sealed inside of the Nazca Lines. But they did not go down quietly. Earthbound Immortal Uru, the spider, trapped one of the dragons with them."_

_"Before you ask the same question Jack," Sky says, "this has everything to do with us. The marks on our arms and our cards—_Stardust Dragon_ and _Red Dragon Archfiend_—are two of the dragons that fought against the darkness. It's been 5000 years again, and the Earthbound Immortals want a rematch. We're the ones who have to stop them."_

_"But... But I don't have a dragon," Luna pipes in._

_"You will get your dragon in time," Rex says. "Yours is the one that Uru trapped in his web."_

_"What about you? Do you have a dragon?" Sky asks._

_Goodwin looks away. "No, I don't. My brother may have passed his mark to me, but I do not know where his Signer Dragon is."_

_Jack's facial expression goes from confusion to anger. "Passing the marks... Sky! The mark you have wasn't yours to start! It was Yusei's."_

_Sky closes her eyes. "I know." She opens them. "But let's not talk about this right now. We came here through our Duel, which means ending it will send us home! _Stardust Dragon_, finish your attack!"_

_The sword _Stardust Dragon_ is holding glows brighter and finally, it blasts a beam of red light at _Red Dragon Archfiend_, shattering the red dragon. The resulting battle damage sends Jack and his red bubble spiraling away from the group, but the bubble returns. Jack seems to be taking heavier breaths now, and he's holding his right arm._

**_Jack's Life Points: 1800_**

_"Are you okay?" Sky asks, worried she had done something. But it couldn't have been her. Her powers weren't on right now._

_"Why would you care?" Jack snaps back at her. "You didn't care when you killed Yusei, or Crow, or when you hurt Kalin so bad he can't walk anymore, or when you nearly killed me!"_

_"That's not true," Sky says, her voice near cracking. "I wouldn't do that..." She closes her eyes, shakes her head. A few tears fall away when she does this. "I... I guess now is probably the time to tell you that I don't remember what happened that night."_

_"You don't—"_

_CCCCCRRRRAAAACCCCKKKK!_

_Everyone covers their ears as a loud cracking sound fills the area. Then, the area below them changes. It starts with an aerial view of Satellite, obviously at night, and then zooms in to one of the cliffs on the east side. And what the Signers see... is not something they wanted to._

**To Be Continued…**

Me: Yep! I'm ending this chapter here.

Sky: I really want to strangle you right now.

Me: Oh, just wait until the next chapter. Then you'll really want to hurt me.

Sky: I know.

Me: And I know that you know what I mean.

*Door slams open*

Crow: *Struggling to walk because there's a kid clinging to his leg and Rudolph is on his head* Hey! Would you take your stupid muse back?

Me: Rudolph isn't stupid. *Takes Rudolph*

Mysterious Kid: *Lets go of Crow* Thanks for the ride Mr. Bird!

Crow: For the last time, my name is Crow!

Kid: Nope! I'm calling you Mr. Bird.

Me: Crow, you should just deal with Joseph. I've discovered that he does stuff like that a lot. And you don't want to make him angry.

Crow: So the kid is named Joseph?

Me: Yes. He also happens to be another muse, newly transferred to me, and Rudolph's younger brother.

Crow: ...But Rudolph is a dog.

Joseph: Oh, that's 'cause he died, and I kinda bound his soul to the stuffed animal.

Rudoph: Arf! Arf!

Sky: Great, another messed-up muse.

Me: Well, I'm sorry. Strange muses seem to like me.

Crow: *Looks at the computer* Hey, you're updating something?

Me: Yes, and you're not allowed to see it. Now leave.

Crow: Make me.

Me: Alright. Joseph?

Joseph: Awesome! *Snaps fingers, Crow vanishes*

Sky: I don't even want to know where he went.

Me: Good. I don't know, anyways. So, I'm going to thank the two people that reviewed the last chapter one more time, and of course I'm going to ask for more reviews. I can see on the traffic stats that a lot of people view my stories, but if I don't get any reviews, I don't know if people like it or not. I know this story has been getting two solid reviews each for the last couple chapters, and Blue Sky just gets random ones, but still. I really like to hear what everyone thinks about them. Oh, and even though I have the next chapter written as well, it will not go up until next week, likely Thursday. So, I'll leave you all to wonder at what the last line of this chapter meant.


	7. Chapter 6—Revelations

**Thanks goes to PLSAC for reviewing the last chapter (even if you weren't signed in)**

**So, a little thing you need to know, in this story when a Fudo dies (because of the whole magic thing) they vanish, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon style**

Warning: Possibility of OOC? Oh yeah, time for the death scenes. There's a part farther down (almost directly after the Duel in this chapter finishes) where I put a note saying to play sad music if possible. I recommend that song being Don't Ever Forget/I Don't Want To Say Goodbye from Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky. It's what I was listening to at the time of writing it, and it really fits the mood. Now… Prepare yourself...

Chapter 6

"I warn you, Sky, the next scene shows you how Yusei and Crow die," Meridith says. "It's not for the faint of heart."

"I'll… I'll be fine," I mutter in reply. "Just get it over with."

_**XXX**_

_**"Hey, Crow! You're back from checking on your kids, I see." Sky runs over to her ginger haired friend. Both of them are in front of a slightly dilapidated building. Sky has a card in her hand. "Crow... thanks for letting me borrow this. But I think it's time I give it back."**_

_**Crow shakes his head. "Nope. I gave it to you, you can keep it."**_

_**"But... This is the first card you ever got. I can't possibly keep it."**_

_**"Then... Then keep it as a sign of our friendship," Crow declares.**_

_**"I..." Sky looks at the card. "Alright. That's all I needed."**_

_**She stays outside as Crow heads in. That's when Sky hears a familiar laugh. Yusei is now standing next to her. "'A sign of our friendship'." he repeats. "Looks like somebody likes you."**_

_**"Shut up Yusei," Sky playfully shoves her brother away.**_

_**"Ow!" Yusei shouts, holding his right arm.**_

_**"Hey! I didn't hit you that hard!" Sky mutters.**_

_**"It's... it's my Mark," Yusei groans. "It burns."**_

_**"What?" Sky grabs Yusei's arm and, sure enough, it's glowing brightly.**_

_**"Hmm," a voice echoes near them, "I guess my entrance wasn't to be as secret as I wanted it to."**_

_**Sky's head jerks up. "Who's there?!" She demands, standing protectively in front of Yusei.**_

_**"You mean, you don't recognize me?" A man in a black cloak lined with red walks into view.**_

_**Sky gasps. "Roman! But, I was told that you died!"**_

_**Roman smiles. "I did. But I was chosen by Earthbound Immortal Uru to come back."**_

_**"Earthbound... Immortal..." Sky's face fills with realization. "You're on the side of darkness, and that means..." She moves between Roman and Yusei. "I won't let you hurt him."**_

_**He laughs. "Oh, I have no interest in the Signer just yet. The Crimson Dragon hasn't finished collecting its Signers, and neither have the Earthbound Immortals. No, I've come here for you, Sky Fudo. You have been claimed by one of the Earthbound Immortals to be a Dark Signer!"**_

_**Sky snarls, "Like I would ever help you!"**_

_**Roman laughs again. "That's a shame, because you don't have a choice. All you have to do is die, and you'll be unable to do anything to stop the Earthbound Immortal from taking over." He lets this sink in. "Now, I am not entirely evil, so I offer you a chance out of this... for the moment. Duel me. If I win, you die. You win, and the injuries you suffer from in the Duel will vanish, and I will leave you alone."**_

_**Sky narrows her eyes. "And... If I refuse the terms of your Duel?"**_

_**"It's simple, really. You die anyways, but I make you suffer and kill your friends first."**_

_**She clenches her fist. "Alright. I'll Duel you." She slides her Duel Disk on as a ring of purple fire appears around them. "What is this?" she demands.**_

_**"The reason you will be taking real damage. This is a Shadow Duel. And they can cause much more pain than even the most powerful psychic duelist," Roman replies. "I'll be taking the first move."**_

**Roman's Life Points: 4000, Sky's Life Points: 4000**

_**"I will place three cards face-down and end my turn," Roman says.**_

_**"Okay then, my move!" Sky looks at her hand. "I Summon the Tuner **_**Celestial Synchron**_** in Attack Mode, and then I can Special Summon **_**Celestial Knight-Saturn**_** because I control a Celestial monster," Sky declares.**_

**Celestial Synchron ATK: 700, DEF: 1800, Level: 3; Celestial Warrior-Saturn ATK: 2000, DEF: 1000, Level 4**

_**A mechanical-like star appears, three rings of light around its metallic white body, and a knight in dark yellow, almost orange, armor appears next to the star.**_

_**"I Tune my Level 3 **_**Celestial Synchron**_** with my Level 4 **_**Celestial Knight-Saturn!**** When night comes to a close, a lone light rises to expel the darkness! Synchro Summon! Arise, ****Celestial Dragon-Sol**_**!" Sky chants.**_

**Celestial Dragon-Sol ATK: 2700, DEF: 1500, Level 7**

_**The star-robot disappears, and the three rings that were around it turn green and circle around the knight. Then, the knight turns transparent and four pinpricks of light appear until a column of light flashes, and out of it flies a magnificent dragon with an orange body and golden lines twisting around his wings.**_

_**"Now, since I don't trust any of your face-down cards, I activate Sol's ability: once per turn, I can banish a Celestial card from my Graveyard, and then I can destroy one card on the field. So," Sky says, "I banish **_**Celestial Synchron**_** in order to destroy the face-down on the… left." She points at the card.**_

**Celestial Dragon-Sol **_**flies up, illuminating the night sky quite a bit, and then dives downward, directly at the face-down. The dragon pulls up at the last moment, and his tail slices through the card. For a split second, Sky can see that it is a standard Trap—**_**Mirror Force**_**. And yet, even as the card shatters—it would have been a very good defense, especially with no monsters on his field—Roman retains the grin he's had since showing up.**_

_**Sky looks at the remaining two cards. "I don't know what you're planning, but I've done all I can for now. **_**Celestial Dragon-Sol**_**, attack his life points directly with **_**Solar Flare Blast!**_**"**_

_**"And now, I activate my Trap **_**Spider Egg**_**," Roman counters. "This card negates a direct attack on me, and also allows me to Summon three **_**Spider Tokens**_** in Defense Mode."**_

_**The burst of fire that Sol had sent towards Roman gets absorbed by a large spider web. The web then disappears, and three small purple spiders sit, waiting for something. Then, being in Defense Mode, the purple spiders turn blue.**_

**Spider Token (x3) ATK: 0, DEF: 0, Level 1**

_**Sky scowls at the card. "Hmph. I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."**_

_**"It's my turn," Roman says. He looks at the card. "Yes, this is what I was looking for. I release one of my **_**Spider Tokens**_** to Summon my **_**Dark Tuner-Spider Cocoon**_**."**_

**Dark Tuner-Spider Cocoon ATK: 0, DEF: 0, Level: Negative 5**

_**A rather large spider with a giant ball of silk on its back appears.**_

_**"A… Dark Tuner?" Sky asks. "What is that?"**_

_**"It works like a normal Tuner, only its Level is negative, so instead of adding, it subtracts from the Level of the other monster. It adds only if the other monster has a negative Level as well," Roman says. "And that is exactly what I plan on doing! I activate my face-down, a Spell known as **_**Darkweb Tuning**_**. This card forces me to release a monster I control, and another one that has to have Spider in its name switches its Level from positive to negative."**_

**Spider Token Level: Negative 1**

_**One of the small spiders disappears, and the remaining small one now looks more menacing.**_

_**"I Dark Tune my negative Level 5 **_**Dark Tuner-Spider Cocoon**_** with my negative Level 1 **_**Spider Token!****A great web of darkness has been strung. Expand and capture all of the light with it! Dark Synchro Summon! The great spider**_**, **_**Underground Arachnid!**_**" Roman chants.**_

**Underground Arachnid ATK: 2400, DEF: 1200, Level: Negative 6**

_**The lower half of the repulsive monster appears to be a relatively normal spider, despite the fact that it's huge and is a dark magenta color. But the top half of the monster appears to be a woman with pale blue skin, and spider eyes. Just looking at it is enough to make Sky want to hurl.**_

_**"And now, **_**Underground Arachnid's**_** ability activates," Roman continues. "I can choose one of your monsters and equip it to **_**Underground Arachnid.**_** Looks like your mighty dragon won't be so helpful anymore."**_

**Underground Arachnid**_** shoots out a powerful web that wraps around the golden-orange dragon. The dragon struggles, but the web covers him completely and drags him over to Roman.**_

_**"Now that your field is empty, **_**Underground Arachni**_**d can attack you directly!" Roman declares. "Attack with **_**Poisonous Fury!**_**"**_

**Underground Arachnid**_** charges at Sky, and when the creature is merely two yards in front of her, a purple web shoots out of its hand, striking Sky and sending her flying against the barrier of purple flames. There is an audible crack, and Sky falls to the ground. She painfully raises herself back up. She cradles the arm that her Duel Disk is on.**_

**Sky's Life Points: 1600**

_**"That ends my turn. Oh, and I will end the Duel during my next turn. So you'd better hope for something that can turn this Duel around."**_

_**"Okay, it's my turn!" Sky draws and looks at her card. And her face falls. The remaining cards in her hand and the one card she just drew won't get her victory. She could stall, and that's it. Her arm throbs in protest as she finishes, "I Summon **_**Celestial Defender**_** to the field in Defense Mode and end my turn."**_

**Celestial Defender ATK: 500, DEF: 2000, Level 2**

_**Someone in silver-plated armor appears, holding a giant shield that is just about as big as he is. The man kneels down and holds the shield in front of him, and the colorings turn blue.**_

_**Roman shakes his head and laughs. "That was your last turn, Sky, and you wasted it. It's time for me to end this Duel! I draw!" He looks at his card. "I activate my face-down, a Trap called **_**Insect Rage**_**. This grants one Insect-Type monster I control the ability to inflict piercing damage this round."**_

_**Sky bites her lower lip. This means that she'll be taking damage even though her monster is in Defense Mode, and that damage is what she was trying to prevent.**_

_**"But, that's not the only card I have," Roman says, his grin growing wider. "I activate the Continuous Spell **_**Backup Web!**_** Once per turn, I can banish a Spider monster in my Graveyard, and give a monster of my choice the ability to attack twice this round. Which means, you're done for! **_**Underground Arachnid,**_** obliterate **_**Celestial Defender!**_**"**_

_**The purple web descends on **_**Celestial Defender.**_** He shatters, and the web blasts Sky into the wall of flames again. And Sky can only manage to pull herself into a sitting position this time. Her defeat was coming, she had nothing to stop the next attack with.**_

**Sky's Life Points: 1200**

_**"End this! **_**Underground Arachnid**_**, attack Sky directly and send her to the shadows!" Roman declares.**_

_**The blast of web shoots at Sky, and someone bellows, "NOOOO!"**_

**Sky's Life Points: 0. Winner: Roman Goodwin**

_***If possible, start playing really sad music in the background right now***_

_**A flash of bright light, and then it vanishes. Roman and the purple flames are gone. Sky is still sitting, but she's looking at herself in astonishment. The pain… the attack she had been expecting never hit her. She looks up, and she finds out why. Yusei is standing, shaking, but standing, in front of Sky and took the full force of the last attack.**_

_**And then, several small orbs of light flicker around Yusei. They vanish, only to be replaced by more. Yusei falls to the ground.**_

_**"No," Sky moans, for she knows what this means. "No, you can't… You can't die, Yusei!" She winds up forcing herself off the ground, only to get right back on it after she limps to Yusei's side. "Please, Yusei. Don't do this to me."**_

_**"I… don't think I have much time left," Yusei mutters.**_

_**Sky whips her head furiously. "There's still a chance! You can heal yourself, or I-I can get you to a hospital in time."**_

_**"Can't heal it… the powers of the Shadow Duel don't let me. And… you won't get me to a hospital in time." He stops, coughs violently, and blood is on his hands.**_

_**"Stay still then! You won't die, no you can't…"**_

_**"Sky, I knew you weren't going to win that Duel," Yusei says.**_

_**"H-Huh?" And then, a few seconds later. "Oh… That's why you were quiet during the Duel. You were seeing the future… or what was the future, while you were watching it."**_

_**"That's not all I saw," Yusei says grimly. "I saw you become a Dark Signer. You were filled with evil, and I couldn't do anything. I… When it came time for the battle between the Signers and Dark Signers, I couldn't bring myself to defeat you. I lost, and the world plummeted into darkness. And then, that vision stopped, and Underground Arachnid was just about to take away the rest of your life points. I couldn't sit by and do nothing."**_

_**The spheres of light start lighting up more frequently, and staying longer before vanishing. Tears fall freely down Sky's face. "B-But… You could have! Yusei… I don't want to say goodbye! I **_**can't**_**, I **_**won't**_**," Sky practically shouts.**_

_**Yusei firmly grabs his sister's uninjured arm. "Then don't. Just, promise me two things. The first is that, no matter what, you have to defeat the Dark Signers. I know you can… And the second, please, don't forget me."**_

_**"Why… Why would I forget you?" Sky says. "Yusei…" She closes her eyes. "I promise you, I won't forget you, and I'll defeat the Dark Signers for you."**_

_**Yusei smiles. "Then, you'll need these." He lets go of Sky, reaches into his Deck Box, and takes out his Deck. "Take my cards, and… You'll become a Signer in my place."**_

_**She takes the cards, and her uninjured arm starts hurting. The Tail of the Dragon mark that had previously been on Yusei is now searing itself onto her arm. "I… Yusei!" Sky picks him up and hugs him. She clings tightly, and tears are falling out from behind her closed eyelids.**_

_**"I'm sorry," he whispers. And Yusei falls limp in her arms.**_

_**Sky sobs as she feels the light take away his body. "Yusei! Yusei!"**_

_**XXX**_

_**Several minutes later, Jack, Crow, and Kalin all run outside, awake and alert because of Sky's screaming. They run over to Sky, Crow kneeling down in front of her and Kalin and Jack staying behind. "Sky! What's going on?" Crow asks.**_

_**"It's my fault," she mutters. "All my fault. He's gone because of me!"**_

_**Kalin and Jack exchange a look of sorrow as Crow asks, "Who?"**_

_**"Yusei!" Sky replies. And then she stiffens up, obviously distressed over her limit. "Go away," she snaps.**_

_**"Why?" Kalin asks. "What did we do?"**_

_**"Just go away! I don't want your help!" A strong wind kicks up. "Why aren't you gone yet? I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" The wind stops, and a grayish pulse lashes out from Sky, sending her friends flying. All of them hit buildings with sickening cracks, and they don't get up from where they land.**_

_**Sky stands up, smiling. "It's a shame, really," she muses to herself. "All this power, wasted because she's been too stubborn to see it." She looks at Kalin. "Yes, he is one as well. It's too bad he has to die first. But," her grin curves up even more, "it will be by my hand."**_

_**She starts walking over to the unconscious icy-blue haired teen, when suddenly she crumples to the ground. Something hard had just whacked the back of her kneecap, striking a nerve. Sky flips over, her face filled with rage. "How dare you mess with me?"**_

_**Crow holds the broken pipe in front of him like a weapon. "I'm not going to let you hurt, much less kill, anyone. And I heard what you said."**_

_**Sky laughs evilly. "You do realize that I only wanted to kill Kalin, right? I would have left you and Jack well enough alone. But now you've done it, trying to be the hero. You'll have to die, then. And Kalin will follow you. It's his destiny to die today."**_

_**Gray eyes fill with shock. "'Destiny'? Who the f*** are you, and what have you done with Sky?"**_

_**"I am Sky. I've just discovered what I can really do." She sticks out a hand, frowns when she sees the Tail of the Dragon on it, but ignores it and closes her hand so that it looks like she's holding an invisible flashlight. As she does this, Crow leaves the ground, and the pipe he was holding drops.**_

_**Sky has a hold on him, telekinetically. She starts closing her fist tighter and tighter, and Crow looks like he's just about had it when she stops. "You shouldn't have interfered! Now, die in vain, Crow Goodwin!"**_

_**Her fist closes all the way.**_

_**Crow screams.**_

_**Jack, on his feet but dizzy, runs and tackles Sky.**_

_**Her hold on Crow snaps, and the ginger falls to the ground. He lies there, gray eyes blank and unseeing.**_

_The ground turns black again. One of the Signers is entirely in tears, two are simply shocked, and the other two are confused, and yet they have tears in their eyes._

**To be continued…**

Me: ... *Wipes tear from eye* Dang it Lucy.

Sky: I hate you right now. Soooo bad.

Me: Yeah. I bet everyone reading this now hates me too.

Luna *Sniff* Hey, I think you have a typo.

Me: Really? This is the only chapter I've ever written that was beta read by someone other than myself.

Leo: Yeah, yeah! I saw it too! You used Goodwin as Crow's last name.

Me: Oh, that. Nope. Not a typo.

Sky: WHAT?!

Me: *Grin* You'll find out. Eventually. So... *Puts up flame shield* Thanks again to the people who have reviewed this story. Also thank you for reading it. If you haven't already, drop a review! They motivate my muses and I, and you don't want me just ending the story here, do you? Yeah. Neither do I. Please tell me what you thought! Oh, and kudos to those who noticed the Professor Layton reference.


	8. Chapter 7—Come, Dark Signer

**Thanks goes to PLSAC and Justanaverageperson for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Agh, I wish I could sleep… Marching Band is so exhausting… Anyways, my muses took a while getting this story out because while Joseph and Lucy wanted to work on this, Rudolph wanted to work on Blue Sky and Shade (yes, I have a fourth muse) wanted to work on something else entirely, so there was this mini war in my head. Ah well, enjoy**

Warning: same as previous chapter. Also, I created my own Earthbound Immortal for this story, and its Dark Signer is in this chapter.

**Chapter 7**

I blink. And blink again. And try again for good measure. That horrifying scene won't leave my head. Yusei… dead because he didn't want the other Sky to die. And Crow… Oh god, Crow. What on earth happened to me in that scene? What could have possibly made me want to murder Kalin, and then kill Crow because he got in the way?

My chest tightens, and I take in a breath. The horrifying scenes vanish momentarily from my thoughts as I realize I am back in the diner. Meridith is not with me anymore. She didn't even say goodbye… or if she did, I wasn't paying attention to it. Which kind of sucks, because I was going to ask her… Why did the insane Sky use Goodwin instead of Hogan as his last name?

"That would be a question that will be answered in time," another familiar voice says from behind me.

I don't even need to turn around to know who it is. "Well, I already dealt with your brother. What do you want, Rex?"

"Hmm. A second chance, maybe? But that's not important." He walks into my field of vision, and I see that he's wearing that same gray suit with the dumbed down design of Wiraqocha Rasca on it.

"Hmph." I look away. "Well, we might as well get the scenes started. I want answers, and it's not like you're going to give them to me."

"As you wish."

**XXX**

_All five of them can't move. They're still trying to understand what they just saw. And then, Sky breaks the stillness. "I… I… I f… forfeit…" She puts her hand on her Deck. The red marks on each of their arms glow brighter, and light flashes. It dims, and they're back in the stadium._

_Goodwin's face appears on the TV screen at the stadium. "There have been… technical difficulties. Due to them, the Duel will be postponed to a later date. I am sorry for the inconvenience."_

'Technical difficulties, more like personal issues,'_ Sky thinks._ 'Did I really go off the deep end?'_ Even though she just watched what happened, she didn't feel like she had a connection to it. Well, she had a connection to watching Yusei die—it felt like someone had torn out her heart. She remembers what she felt in that moment. But, with Crow, she couldn't remember how she felt when it happened._

_She couldn't have done that on her own accord, either. Sky knows she would never do something like that. And her powers… she doesn't have telekinesis. She has pretty much everything else under the sun when someone thinks about psychic abilities. But not telekinesis. Sky takes one look at Jack, who has a stunned look on his face, and bolts in the opposite direction._

_Rex Goodwin has a great deal of explaining to do._

**XXX**

"Yeah, that was something I wanted to know about too," I say. "I don't understand how I could have…" I can't bring myself to say it. "Because I don't have telekinetic abilities."

Goodwin mutters something, but I don't catch it. "What was that?" I ask.

"Nothing of your concern," he replies.

I press my fingertips to my forehead. All of the dodging answers is giving me a headache. I wish I could get a straight answer, but I guess not. Not here, not with these wacky rules I don't even really know about in place. "I really don't like the dodgy answers, but I guess I'll have to deal with it. On to the next scene."

**XXX**

_She bursts into the Director's Box, and sees that Goodwin was in the middle of a conversation with her father, Shoshan, and Lazar. Usually she would wait, but not now. Not on something as important as this. "Goodwin! What we saw, what I said… Is Crow related to you?"_

_He sighs and looks away. "It's a possibility that he is… my son… but I don't know if he really is. What is even more confusing is the fact that you called him that."_

_"It's… I don't know. I really can't feel a connection with that part of my flashback. I remember what I felt when I watched Yusei die, but not with Crow. It still feels like I'm detached from the event, like it isn't even real."_

_"But it did happen," Jack says from behind Sky. "I watched it happen—twice now. Except the 'Goodwin' thing is new."_

_Sky closes her eyes. "I know, I know it happened. I just…" She stops, and decides on something. "I think I should go to Satellite. I need to talk to Kalin."_

_Her father, who had previously been standing off to the side clearly confused, says, "No. You will not be going to Satellite. Not after what happened there…"_

_"It wouldn't be my first time going back there," she argues. "Izumi took me, because she wanted to see Kalin, and Rex said I had to go with her in order for her to go."_

_"You… what?!"_

_"I went to Satellite after that first tournament I won."_

_Dr. Fudo looks away, clenches his fist, and looks back at Sky. "You're not going back there."_

_"But Dad!" Sky shakes her head. "It doesn't matter what you say. I'm going to Satellite." She turns around, nearly shoves Jack out of her way, and runs out of the door._ 'I have to apologize to Kalin, and I can take care of myself.'

**XXX**

"What the…? I would never act like that!" I protest at the scene.

"Yes, well, that Sky has grown up in a different environment than you have," Goodwin says.

"Still…" I trail off. Maybe this isn't the best thing to go down, considering that I would never do a lot of what has happened there, but apparently the other me would… "Never mind. What happens next? The alternate Sky goes to Satellite anyways?"

"Not alone," he replies, "but yes. You return to Satellite."

**XXX**

_"It doesn't matter what you say. I'm going to Satellite." She spins around, and Jack narrowly manages to sidestep out of her path before she runs out of the room._

_"Sky, wait!" he calls after her. If she wanted to talk to Kalin, he should be there. It might calm him down enough to talk rationally, rather than just shout at her. And Jack could vouch for what Sky tells Kalin. He doesn't know if Kalin would believe her otherwise._

_"Jack," Dr. Fudo says, "if you're going after Sky… Just keep her safe. I've already lost Yusei and their mother. I can't lose her."_

_The blonde looks back at his friend's father. Their previous (well, only) meeting wasn't the fondest of memories, but Jack can understand why he should help. "Fine." He turns and runs out of the room. After a couple seconds, he realizes that someone is following him, but he doesn't bother to turn around. Sky has more than enough of a head start already._

_He eventually catches up to Sky. She hadn't actually gone far-she had gone farther into the building to where no one else was. And it looks like she's been crying. Sky doesn't even look up and says, "If you're going to stop me, stay out of my way."_

_"I wasn't planning on it," Jack says._

_"Neither was I," someone says from behind Jack. He doesn't recognize the voice, but he sees that it belongs to the other guy he had seen in the Director's Box—the one with blonde hair and dark green eyes._

_Now she looks up. "Alright. We should get going then."_

_"Ah! Wait a second!" a voice calls from the hallway. It's Carly, with Leo and Luna next to her. "Could you guys tell us what happened?"_

_"We don't really know the answers ourselves," Sky replies. "But… I have a feeling that some of the answers lie in Satellite. We were just about to go, and you three came. And no, you can't come with us."_

_Carly sighs. "Will you at least give me answers when you come back? You know how much I like having questions answered."_

_"Sure thing," Sky says. "Jack, Shoshan, come here." Her Duel Disk is still on her arm, and she slides_ Teleport_ into the slot. There is a flash of light, and the group of three is standing in front of Martha's house._

**_~XXX~_**

_She takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. After what happened the last time she was here, Sky doesn't know if Kalin will let her talk. But she has to speak to him. Martha answers the door, frowns, but nods. "Kalin, it's for you!" she calls back into the house._

'Figures, she would already know why I'm here,'_ Sky thinks with a small smile on her face. "Long time no see Martha… and Kalin."_

_The icy-blue haired man had come quickly, for being stuck in a wheelchair. He sees Sky and snarls, "You have to be kidding me!"_

_"Whether you like it or not, we have to have a conversation," Sky responds. "It's not private enough in there to have it, so you're going to need to come outside."_

_"Like I'm going to—"_

_"Kalin," Jack intervenes, "just come outside."_

_"Jack? You're on her side now?"_

_"No," Jack replies at the same time Sky says "Sort of."_

_Sky sighs. It's gone better than what she expected, but still… "Just come outside and we'll answer your questions, alright?"_

_Kalin huffs in annoyance and defeat. "Okay, you win."_

**_~XXX~_**

_"...And no matter what you say, I'm one of the good guys," Sky finishes. They had gone to a more remote part of Satellite to talk, and Sky and Jack had told Kalin (and Shoshan, really) about the Crimson Dragon and what they had seen._

_"So, you expect me to just accept it and move on?"_

_"You could at least try!"_

_"Oh yeah? You still haven't even apologized!"_

_Just as Sky goes to say something, her mark and Jack's mark start glowing, and a very familiar voice says, "No, she hasn't yet. But it wouldn't really make a difference now, would it?"_

_Sky jerks her head towards the voice and gasps. The person is wearing a similar black robe to the one that Roman had on, only the lines were red-orange rather than straight up red. And his eyes, while the irises were still gray, the parts of his eyes that should be white are black instead. But his orange hair is still in the gravity-defying style._

_Crow grins. "I bet you didn't see this coming!"_

_"Crow…" she says. "Why…?" Why is he a Dark Signer?_

_The ginger shrugs. "I was offered a second chance, and I took it. And I get to have my revenge on you as a bonus!"_

_A monstrous Duel Disk appears on Crow's arm, and Sky steps back, activating her own. "If you want a Duel, you can have one," she says._

_"Hmm? Oh, I'm not allowed to Duel you just yet," Crow says. "Roman sent me out to get the next Dark Signer." He looks at Kalin, and laughs again. "Too bad for you, Kalin. You're my target. Unlike Wiraqocha Rasca, who changed its target, Ccapac Apu still wants you."_

'Wiraqocha Rasca changed its choice?'_ Sky thinks. _'Could that have been the Earthbound Immortal Roman had been talking about?'_ She rubs her arm, maybe Yusei giving her his mark required the Immortal to change its choice? And if she could break free from that, maybe Kalin could too? "I'm not going to let you hurt him, Crow."_

_"Back away, Sky," Kalin says. "If you think I'm going to lose in a Duel against anyone, much less Crow, you've got another thing coming."_

_"Glad to see your attitude hasn't changed," Crow says. "Let's Duel!" Purple flames surround the Duelists, and as Sky looks up, she can see the shape of the flames reflecting off of the clouds—it looks like a curled up bird, the hooked beak in the center, with the outer spiral of its body having smaller spirals come out of it as the tail._

**Crow's Life Points: 4000, Kalin's Life Points: 4000**

_Kalin draws a card. "I'm going first, and I'll Summon _Infernity Guardian_ in Defense Mode!"_

**Infernity Guardian ATK: 1200, DEF: 1700, Level 4**

_A skull, surrounded in flames and a strange dark blue cloak that seemed to form a shield, appears next to Kalin. "I'll end my turn with three face-down cards."_

_"My turn then," Crow says, drawing his card. He grins. "Because I have no cards on my field, I'm allowed to Normal Summon the Dark Tuner _Fenix-Gale the Scorching Wind_ without any Tributes. The downside to this is that it is immediately destroyed."_

_Kalin smirks. "You just wasted your Normal Summon."_

_"For a good reason, though," the Dark Signer continues. "I activate the effect of _Fenix-Fane the Fiery Chain_ in my hand-when a Fenix monster is destroyed by a card effect, I can Special Summon _Fane_ from my hand. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the fact that _Gale's_ effect revives itself once a Duel when I Special Summon a Fenix monster."_

**Fenix-Fane the Fiery Chain ATK: 800, DEF: 300, Level 2; Fenix-Gale the Scorching Wind ATK: 1300, DEF: 300, Level -10**

_A tall bird with red wings and a flaming chain around it appears, a strange red crown shaped like a phoenix on top of it. Next to it, another bird appears, this one smaller, with red wings and a red body, with orange head feathers. The second bird also has the phoenix crown on its head._

_"I activate my Continuous Trap_ Phantom Hand_!" Kalin declares. "This lets me banish my hand until my next Standby Phase."_

_Crow, unfazed, says, "_Fane the Fiery Chain_ can attack your Life Points directly." So the tall bird uses its chain of fire to hit the golden-eyed young man. As it wasn't too powerful of an attack, Kalin merely grunts and pats the part of his shirt where the chain hit it._

**Kalin's Life Points: 3200**

_"Now I'll Dark Tune my Negative Level 10 _Fenix-Gale the Scorching Wind_ with my Level 2 _Fenix-Fane the Fiery Chain! Fiery death, lift up your head and let loose a roar to shake up the world! Dark Synchro Summon! Rise up, Black Fenix Dragon!_" Crow chants._

**Black Fenix Dragon ATK: 1500, DEF: 1500, Level -8**

_In an explosion of black flames, a serpentine dragon appears. It has no legs or arms, and its dark red wings are frayed at the edges. The dragon's body is black, and its eyes are blood red. The same intricate crown as on the previous two Fenix monsters rests on the top of the dragon's head._

_"Scared yet?_ Black Fenix Dragon_ gains Attack and Defense Points based on the difference between our Life Points!" the ginger declares as his dragon gains a blazing red aura._

**Black Fenix Dragon ATK and DEF: 1500 to 2300**

'I hope Kalin can find a way around this card,' _Sky thinks._ 'After all, Roman's Dark Synchro Monster was my downfall…'

**To be continued…**

Me: And… That's where I'm *yawn* stopping.

Sky: *Incomprehensible squeaking noises*

Me: Yes, it was absolutely necessary to have Crow be a Dark Signer. I've had the idea cooking around in my head since before I started writing this. And as for Kalin's Deck, I just like the Infernity cards, so I gave him the Deck ahead of time.

Sky: *Stops the noises* I hate you. And Lucy.

Me: I hate Lucy as well, so I know how you feel. Myeh… *Yawn* I need sleep… But I have dance and *yawn* Marching Band practice.

Luna: Why are you so tired?

Me: *Yawn* First two competitions were last Saturday. First one sucked, second one we did awesome. My band got first in music and second in most of everything else in my class. The downside to this is *yawn* I didn't get to sleep until 1 Sunday morning. I have a competition this Saturday at Appalachian State. My mom's going as a chaperone.

Sky: ...Good luck then.

Me: Oh, deciding to like me now? Eh. *Yawn* 'M gonna ask for reviews. Thanks for everyone who's reviewed, or even just read this story so far. More reviews are always fun for me… Eh… Zzzz…


	9. Chapter 8—Kurai Fenikkusu

**Thanks goes to PLSAC and Eunice Pacheco for reviewing the last chapter, and 4fireking for reviewing the prologue.**

**So, despite the fact that I got less sleep this past weekend than the one before, I have managed to write this chapter! It has a rather… evil ending, by the way. Just setting up the stage for all of the Dark Signers to be, well, Dark Signers**

Warning: Violence, definitely. And death. Quite a bit of death.

**Chapter 8**

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" I shout in disbelief. No… There's no way Crow would ever become a Dark Signer. Nope, no chance at all. And yet… That just happened. I take a deep breath and sit back down. "Why… Why would he…?"

"You'll learn why when the time comes for the Duel between the other you and Crow," Goodwin replies.

"Figures," I mutter. "You know, if something like this happens to Yusei, I'm going to break something."

"So you would prefer your brother staying dead for good?"

I widen my eyes in realization. "Yes… No… I don't know! I guess I don't want Yusei having to suffer through something like being a Dark Signer. I've seen Misty, Kalin, and Devak since after they came back. They weren't the same." I think about that for a second. "Carly doesn't count, she doesn't remember what happened."

"Hmm," he hums and nods in agreement. "Well, you would like to see the outcome of the Duel, correct?"

"Not that I haven't already guessed how it plays out, but yeah. It'll get me closer to the answers I want."

**XXX**

_"I activate my Field Spell _Fenix Colosseum_! Its effect lets me send a Fenix monster from my Deck to the Graveyard during each of my End Phases. I'll end my turn with two face-down cards," the Dark Signer finishes, the holograms of two cards showing up in front of him. The entire field also surrounds itself in a fiery version of the Roman Colosseum. "This lets me send _Fenix-Mistral the Crimson Shield_ to the Graveyard."_

_"My turn!" Kalin declares. He draws his card and smiles. "I just got _Infernity Archfiend_ and because I have no cards in my hand, I can activate his ability! This lets me Special Summon him, and because he was Special Summoned, I can add another Infernity card from my Deck to my hand."_

**Infernity Archfiend ATK: 1800, DEF: 1200, Level 4**

_The monster that appears has orange hair that sticks straight up to a point over his light purple face. A darker shade of purple makes up the creature's clothing, and a blue cage-like structure that loops around in the back rests in the air around the monster's chest._

_"I'm choosing to add _Infernity Destroyer_ to my hand," Kalin continues, a card coming out of his Deck and into his hand. A faint glow appears, and the cards that he had banished with the effect of _Phantom Hand _return. "Now I'll release _Infernity Archfiend_ to Summon _Infernity Destroyer_!"_

**Infernity Destroyer ATK: 2300, DEF: 1000, Level 6**

_A large monster in black armor appears. There is some white covering on parts of the armor, with an intricate orange design sticking out, one on each side of the monster._

_"I activate my Continuous Spell _Infernity Launcher_! This lets me discard an Infernity monster once per turn, and when I have no cards in my hand, I can destroy it and Special Summon two Infernity monsters from my Graveyard," he explains. "I'm using the first effect right now, and discarding _Infernity Beetle._"_

_With one card in his hand, he can't activate the second effect. But… "I'll activate the effect of _Phantom Hand_ again, making my hand zero again, and I can activate the second effect of my Spell! I send it to the Graveyard and revive _Infernity Archfiend_ and _Infernity Beetle_!"_

**Infernity Beetle ATK: 1200, DEF: 0, Level 2**

_The two monsters appear in a flash of light. "This triggers Archfiend's ability, and I add a Spell, _Infernity Blast_, to my hand. But it won't be there for long, because I'm going to activate it! I still have no cards in my hand, and this card inflicts 300 points of damage to you for every Infernity monster on my field," Kalin explains with a grin._

_Crow snarls as the blast hits him and his dragon loses most of its extra power. "You'll pay for that!"_

**Crow's Life Points: 2800; Black Fenix Dragon ATK and DEF: 1900**

_"_Infernity Destroyer_, attack _Black Fenix Dragon!_" Kalin orders._

_The armored monster starts to charge up a beam and shoots a pulse of black at the dragon. An explosion envelops the monster and Crow, but when it vanishes both Crow and his dragon are still standing, and something small and red hits Kalin, hard._

**Crow's Life Points: 2400; Kalin's Life Points: 1700; Black Fenix Dragon ATK and DEF: 2200**

'What could that have been?'_ Sky thinks. Kalin's attack should have gone off without fail, and what damaged him?_

_Crow dusts off his outfit. "Hmph, I activated the effect of _Fenix-Jetstream the Amber Sky_. By discarding it, I saved my dragon from destruction and you took 1500 points of damage for your troubles."_

_"Next time, then," Kalin says. "And next time won't be much longer, because I Tune my Level 2 _Infernity Beetle_ with my Level 6 _Infernity Destroyer! The dead and the living… The moment they meet at zero, above the cage of eternity, the demonic dragon comes out! Synchro Summon! Come forth, Infernity Doom Dragon!_"_

**Infernity Doom Dragon ATK: 3000, DEF: 2400, Level 8**

_A grotesque black dragon appears, its wings much more frayed than the one already on the field. The dragon's two main arms end with pincers for hands, and there is a smaller arm underneath the right one. On the top of the monster's head, there appears to be what looks like a mop minus the handle._

_"Since I Summoned _Infernity Doom Dragon_ after the Battle Phase, that still fulfils the requirements of its effect-it can't have declared battle this turn, and I have to have zero cards in my hand. Then I get to destroy a monster you control, and you take damage equal to half its Attack Points," Kalin continues._

_The grotesque dragon lets loose a powerful blast that strikes Crow's dragon, continues through it, and envelops Crow in a blast of light._

**Crow's Life Points: 1300**

_"Crow!" Sky shouts, still worried for her friend despite the fact that right now, he's her enemy._

_The ginger stands up and glares at Sky. "Like you care about what happens to me! You're the one that made me like this! You killed me just so you could try and kill Kalin!"_

_"Crow… I… I still care!" Sky protests. She stops and shakes her head. "You're one to talk… Now you're trying to do what I apparently couldn't."_

_He curls his hand into a fist. "This is different! I activate the effect of my _Black Fenix Dragon_! When it's destroyed, I can add a certain card from my Deck to my hand!"_

_A card comes out of the Deck, and Sky shivers as Crow takes it. _'Is that card what I think it is?'

_"Now I activate my Trap _Fenix Revenge_! This card forces the end of turn when a Fenix monster is destroyed, and it lets me Special Summon two _Fenix Tokens_ to replace the monster that was destroyed."_

**Fenix Token (x2) ATK: 0, DEF: 0, Level 1**

_Two small flames in the shape of birds appear next to Crow. "It's too bad for you, Kalin, 'cause that was your last turn!" The Dark Signer draws his card and grins._

_"What makes you so sure about that?" Kalin demands._

_"Oh, because the card I added to my hand is this! I release my two tokens and... _After five thousand years of slumber in the flames, it is time for you to return and plunge this world into darkness! Advent, Earthbound Immortal Kurai Fenikkusu!_"_

_The purple flames seem to glow brighter, and above the center of the mark appears a giant stone shaped like a heart. The stone heart appears to beat once, twice, three times, each time a pulse vibrating through the air. Black smoke starts to gather into the rock, until it beats one more time. A flash of light envelops the rock in a huge column, and the monster that comes out of it is a black bird, about 80 feet tall, with a hooked beak, its tail like flames, and red-orange lines all over its body._

**Earthbound Immortal Kurai Fenikkusu ATK: 2700, DEF: 3000, Level 10**

_Sky takes in a deep breath and steps back, holding her arm with the Mark of the Dragon on it. The mark hurts worse than before, now that one of the Earthbound Immortals has shown itself. _'That could have been me, controlling one of those monsters.'

_"See this card Kalin? This is your end! And once I'm allowed to Duel you, it'll be your end as well, Sky!" Crow shouts and laughs maniacally. "_Earthbound Immortal Kurai Fenikkusu_ is immune to all Spell and Trap cards you control, and it can attack you directly!"_

'But that means…!'_ Sky thinks, realizing what will happen. "Kalin, no!"_

_"_Kurai Fenikkusu_, attack him directly with _Netherworld Flames_!" Crow orders._

_The giant bird screeches, and a large ball of purple flames appears in the sky, right above the icy-blue haired man. The fireball falls to earth… and Kalin disappears inside of it._

_Sky starts to run towards Kalin, but both Jack and Shoshan hold her back. "No! No! I can't lose another friend!" she shouts, struggling to get free. "KALIN!"_

**Kalin's Life Points: 0. Winner: Crow Hogan (Goodwin).**

_She jerks free from their arms and runs at the same time a shadow passes over the two Duelists. It goes away, and both Crow and Kalin are gone. "Kalin…"_

**XXX**

I sigh and rub my forehead. Yep, the outcome of the Duel was exactly what I expected. But that Earthbound Immortal is definitely new. "Hey, why is that… Kurai Fenikkusu was it? Why is that thing an Earthbound Immortal in the other world, and yet not in ours?"

For a second, Rex doesn't say anything. Then he says, "There, ah, there was a Dark Signer for Kurai Fenikkusu. He didn't agree with being a Dark Signer and, well… Forced Kalin to Duel him. And lost."

"Do I know this person?"

"You do."

"But you're not going to tell me who it is, are you?"

"I'm not allowed to," Goodwin replies.

I groan again. "Great," I say sarcastically. "I really don't like this…"

**XXX**

_Why Kalin? Why did one of the Earthbound Immortals have to choose him? And why did they also have to choose Crow? Did they want her to have a nervous breakdown? She really can't take much more of this…_

_Sky, Jack, and Shoshan are back in Neo Domino after the Shadow Duel. Her father was slightly upset, but happy that she is safe. And, in the middle of telling them exactly what happened, Sky stops and screams. Her vision fades to black for a second. It returns in a place she doesn't recognize until…_

**_~XXX~_**

_Carly took good care of her car. And she was naturally a safe drive. However, 'naturally safe' doesn't cover if someone riding a Duel Runner randomly darts in front of her while on the highway. The impact was really loud, but only really damaged the Duel Runner and its rider._

_She sits there for a few moments, trying to digest what just happened. Then common sense kicks in, and she calls Sector Security. When someone answers, she immediately starts panicking. "Oh my gosh, I just hit someone! They darted in front of me for no apparent reason, and the crash made a really awful sound…"_

_"Ma'am," a male voice says from the other end, "calm down. Can you see if the driver of the other vehicle is alright?"_

_"Mhmm." She gets out of her car—thank goodness it's late at night and not likely for any cars to come past—and walks over to the crashed Duel Runner. Its rider was thrown several feet away, and lay face-down on the pavement. His outfit, though, makes Carly have to hold back the comment of 'Geez, is it Halloween or something?' It's this weird black robe with blue lines on it. She bends down and rolls the guy over. His helmet obscures most of his face. "Hey, are you alright?" she asks._

_Part of the mystery man's face that is still visible is his mouth, and it curves up into an evil grin. "Oh, I'm perfectly fine. Can't say the same about you, though." Something flashes in his hand, and Carly barely has time to realize it's a knife before the guy plunges it into her chest._

**_~XXX~_**

_"CARLY!" Sky screams. "Not again, not another one. Why does it have to be everyone I care about?!"_

_"What are you talking about?" Jack demands._

_Sky looks down. "The Dark Signers have claimed her…"_

**To be continued…**

Me: Why must my muses do stuff like this?

Sky: I don't know, but I really wish they didn't.

Me: Same here! Especially after how well last weekend went… It was my band director's birthday, and my band got first in everything in our class except for Drum Major. I wish we could have gotten like, third overall, but since my band is 2A, and rather outnumbered by the sheer amount of people in the 3A, 4A, 5A, and sometimes 6A bands, it's not really possible. Still, we got a lot of awards.

Sky: Good for you, then. But that doesn't explain why your muses would come up with something like this! *Waves her arms at my computer screen*

Me: *Shrugs* I dunno. I do know that they like reviews, especially when someone who hasn't already reviewed leaves one. But they also like returning reviewers. Also, as long as you're signed in, I try to respond to any questions you might have as long as it doesn't involve spoilers. Just gotta keep you guys hanging. So, if you loved it, hated it, or need some clarification on something, please leave a review! They are my friendly friends!


	10. Chapter 9—The Duels Begin

**Thanks goes to Eunice Pacheco and Justanaverageperson for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Ah… Just… Ah… See my profile for my rant about Pokemon X/Y, if you don't mind spoilers/have already beaten the game and you want to know why I'm a little bit off. Anyways, I hope you guys like this chapter!

Warnings: Well, I don't think there's much of anything bad in this chapter… But, I did decide to use Goodwin's manga Deck rather than his anime one… And since I'm not familiar with it at all, there might be some mistakes.

**Chapter 9**

_All of the Signers, sans Goodwin, sit in a large room in a mansion. The Dark Signers have likely gathered everyone they needed, so the Signers were going to set up a battle strategy. But they have to wait for Goodwin to come back from… wherever he is, first._

_He comes back after an hour, and Sky stands up. "Why did you take so long?" she demands._

_The eldest Signer looks away for a second. "I was… talking with my brother."_

_Sky froze. Did she hear that right? "Wh-What? You were talking to Roman?!"_

_"I did. He said that the Dark Signers have gathered everyone they need, and that the final battle starts tonight. He would not say why the battle is tonight, though. But he did say where it is supposed to be. In Satellite… more specifically the area around the original Reactor."_

_She closes her eyes as she remembers that place. It was where she had last seen her mother. And now it was supposed to be the place where the battle between light and darkness occurred? Tonight, for that matter? Why so quick, since they only recruited Carly yesterday? "What else did he say?" she asks calmly._

_"He told me who each of the Dark Signers are—except for one—and which one of us is supposed to Duel them," Rex answers, pressing the button of a remote in his hand._

_A map of Satellite appears on the wall, and it zooms in on the area of the original Reactor. The Reactor sits at the center of the image, and the six control towers are on the very edges of the map. The Reactor and the control towers each have two images over the top of them—the face of a person and the picture of a strange mark, the Geoglyphs for each Earthbound Immortal._

_The Reactor itself had Uru, the spider, and Roman. It isn't necessary to say who would Duel him; Sky was going to, there was no question about it._

_The tower at the bottom of the map had a dark-skinned bald man, and the mark of the monkey, Cusillu. "That is Devak," Rex says, "and I was told that he has _Ancient Fairy Dragon_."_

_"So, he's mine then?" the light-green haired girl asks, worry laced in her voice._

_"Don't worry Luna!" her brother says, "I'll kick this Dark Signer's butt for you!"_

_Sky chuckles a little bit. "I don't think that's a good idea… Leo, right? Yeah, it's not a good idea. You weren't there when Crow defeated Kalin. The Earthbound Immortals aren't going to be a pushover, if that's what you're thinking."_

_The young boy gets in her face, all angry-like. "I can handle myself just as good as you guys can," he whines._

_"Leo, leave Sky alone," Luna says._

_Leo mumbles something and sits back down._

_The next tower, to the right of the other, has a picture of Greiger and the whale, Chacu Challhua. "I Dueled him in the Fortune Cup," Jack notes. "Does that mean I have to Duel him?"_

_"No, he actually has a grudge against me," Goodwin replies. "It's a long story that we don't have time for."_

_Everyone turns their attention back to the screen, where the next two towers are oddly close to each other. The two have pictures of Crow and Kalin with Kurai Fenikkusu (the phoenix) and Ccapac Apu (the giant), respectively. "I was told that we're supposed to Tag Duel them," Goodwin explains, looking at Sky._

_Sky doesn't say anything, but she nods in acceptance. Both she and Goodwin had claim to Duel Crow, but it wouldn't be fair for them to gang up on him. Having Kalin join is probably for the best; it would allow them to take down two birds with one stone. She shakes her head, _'My friends aren't birds! Why am I thinking like this?'

_"You can keep going," she mutters._

_The next tower has Carly, with the mark of Aslla Piscu, the hummingbird, next to her. "Jack, you'll be Dueling her."_

_A pause, and the blonde says, "Fine. I have something to give to her."_

_"That means Akiza, you have to Duel Misty, the last Dark Signer," Goodwin says. A picture of the supermodel and the lizard, Ccarayhua, appears next to the last tower._

_"What about the unknown Dark Signer?" Sky asks._

_"Roman would not tell me anything other than that the eighth Dark Signer must be defeated in order to stop the Earthbound Immortals."_

_Everyone remains silent for a few moments, and then Leo claps his hands together. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some Dark Signer butt!"_

**XXX**

"Interesting," I say. '_I wonder who the last Dark Signer is..._' Seriously, why does the last one have to remain a secret? Is it Yusei? Or could it be someone else? "So, instead of being before sundown, the Dark Signers have to be defeated in the night?"

"Yes, before midnight," Goodwin says.

"Do they know that they're really trying to stop the King of the Netherworld?"

"Not at the moment."

"Hmm. Well, continue on."

**XXX**

_After wishing the others good luck in their Duels, the Signers split up to go to their Duels. Except for Sky, who tagged along with Luna just to make sure the youngest Signer won her Duel. That, and she felt that her Duel with Roman should be after her Duel against Kalin and Crow, and Goodwin had to finish his Duel against Greiger first._

_A Sector Security officer is driving Luna, Leo, and Sky to the first tower. _'What was his name again? Trudge?'_ Sky wants to see if there's any way to go faster, but just as she goes to ask, Luna gasps._

_"What is it _Kuribon_?" the girl asks._

_Sky glances over, and she sees the faint outline of a brown ball of fur with a tail that has a pink bow on it. The creature says something, but she can't hear it, and Luna replies, "Alright. Take me there."_

_A large pillar of light wraps around the girl, and Sky covers her eyes. It feels like she's flying, or maybe falling, and then she's on the ground again. She opens her eyes, and finds that she's in a forest. "Luna… I think you might have taken me to the Spirit World," Sky says._

_"I did? Well, I didn't mean to…" She trails off and looks at me. "Uh, can you help me? I'm supposed to rescue the Spirit World from Zeman, but I'm supposed to find Regulus first, and I have no idea where to look."_

_"Of course!"_

_They walk in silence for a while, searching the forest for the Duel Spirit they are after. The two discover a tree that is going backwards, with the leaves returning to the branches, because of a bizarre staff planted at its base. Sky takes the staff, and the leaves start falling again. But they don't stay there for long, and they keep looking for Regulus._

_Luna stops. "I've been wanting to ask you something… for a while now…"_

_"So? Ask away!" Sky replies._

_"Um… How do you do it? How do you keep going, after all of the pain you've gone through?"_

_The golden-haired woman looks down and a very serious look crosses her face. "I don't know… I honestly don't know how I do it." Someone screams in the distance, and Sky looks towards the disturbance. A large white lion is chasing a small boy in spellcaster gear. "I think that's Regulus over there."_

**_~XXX~_**

_The rest of saving the Spirit World went over extremely well. There was an incident in which Regulus didn't believe Luna and Sky, but the staff that Sky had picked up managed to save the day (a similar staff had been stuck to the lion's leg, and the powers of the two staffs nullified each other). Then they ended up stopping Zeman, with the help of Regulus and the young spellcaster, Torunka._

_After that, they returned to the human world, to find Leo in the middle of a Shadow Duel with Devak, Earthbound Immortal Cusillu on the field. But even Devak fell to the powers of the Signers, and they continued onward after sealing the control tower._

_The whale mark glows on the ground in the distance, and Sky is the one driving this time, much faster than what Officer Trudge had been going. The flames disappear as they arrive on-scene, and have enough time to hear Goodwin apologizing to Greiger before the Dark Signer turns into a pile of dust._

_"I see that your Duel was successful, Luna?" he asks._

_"Thanks to Leo, it was."_

_"Hurry up Goodwin," Sky says. "We have a deadline to meet, don't we? It's time for our Tag Duel." Devak had told Luna (when he thought he was supposed to be the victor) that all of the Duels need to be won by midnight._

**XXX**

"That means… the Duel against Crow and Kalin is next…" I honestly don't know if I'll be able to watch the whole thing. I mean… I was the one who wouldn't attack Kalin, when I was Dueling with him in my own situation with the Dark Signers. Watching two of my friends, though...

**XXX**

_The group of five arrive at the site of the two control towers. Crow and Kalin are already outside, Duel Disks on their arms. The ginger sees them approach and laughs, "It's too bad you won't Turbo Duel, Sky. You would stand a better chance of winning."_

_"I don't need to stand a chance! I'll save the both of you, even if it means that I have to lose!" she retorts. "Enough talk, let's Duel!"_

**Crow's Life Points: 4000, Kalin's Life Points: 4000, Goodwin's Life Points: 4000, Sky's Life Points: 4000**

_"I'll start!" Crow announces, drawing his card. He looks at it. "Perfect! I start with the Continuous Spell _Fenix Doom_! By taking 2000 points of damage, I can now Normal Summon any Fenix monster without having to Tribute monsters. And I'll use it to Summon _Fenix-Blizzard the Blazing North_!"_

**Crow's Life Points: 2000; Fenix-Blizzard the Blazing North ATK: 1300, DEF: 200, Level -7**

_A small bird with a bright red body and wings, with a black strip across its face, appears next to Crow. This bird has a red crown just like the few Fenix monsters Sky saw in the last Duel._

_"Now, since _Blizzard_ was Normal Summoned, I get to Special Summon a Fenix monster to join it, although it is reduced to Level 1 and its Attack and Defense Points become null and void," Crow continues. "I choose _Fenix-Jetstream the Amber Sky_!"_

**Fenix-Jetstream the Amber Sky ATK: 300 to 0; DEF: 200 to 0; Level 1**

_"_Fenix-Blizzard the Blazing North_, Tune with Level 1 _Fenix-Jetstream the Amber Sky_! _Darkened flames, become the warrior that absorbs the light with every flap of his wings! Dark Synchro Summon! Destroy, Fenix-Flare Wing_!"_

**Fenix-Flare Wing ATK: 2000, DEF: 0, Level -6**

_A darker version of _Blackwing Armed Wing_ appears, yet the mask over the creature's face resembles a phoenix._

_"Since I can't attack on the first turn, I'll set one card face-down and end my turn," Crow finishes. "Your turn, Goodwin."_

_It's while Goodwin draws his card that Sky realizes she has no idea what his strategy is. She's never seen him Duel before… She'll just have to trust his judgement._

_"I Summon _Magician of the Heavenly Halo_ in Attack Mode! Then, because I control a face-up Heavenly Halo monster, I can Special Summon _Archer of the Heavenly Halo in Defense Mode_!" Goodwin starts._

**Magician of the Heavenly Halo ATK: 1400, DEF: 100, Level 2; Archer of the Heavenly Halo ATK: 300, DEF: 200, Level 1**

_Someone covered in mostly white armor, a glowing halo on their back and a black cloak hanging off his shoulders appears, with another in similar armor and halo, minus the cloak but plus a bow and arrow appear next to Goodwin._

_"Then I activate the Spell _Creature Swap_, giving you control of _Magician of the Heavenly Halo_, but I get your _Fenix-Flare Wing_ in return," he continues._

_The two monsters switch sides, and Crow laughs. "You would try to use your enemy to defeat us? How pitiful!"_

_"I set one card face-down and end my turn," Goodwin finishes, ignoring the comment._

_"My turn!" Kalin draws his card. He smirks. "I activate my own Continuous Spell _Zero-Out_! By paying half of my Life Points, this card makes it to where my hand is considered to be at zero, even if I have cards in it. So, with that done, I Summon _Infernity Necromancer_ in Defense Mode!"_

**Infernity Necromancer ATK: 0, DEF: 2000, Level 3**

_Floating next to Kalin, a new monster appears. Its head is green, and its entire body is covered with a purple robe._

_"I'll set two cards face-down and then have the monster you gave us attack _Archer of the Heavenly Halo_," Kalin declares. But the magician does nothing, and he narrows his eyes. "What gives?"_

_"A player, or in this case a team, that controls _Magician of the Heavenly Halo_ cannot declare an attack," the eldest Signer explains._

_"Hmph. I end my turn."_

'Finally, it's my turn,'_ Sky thinks. She draws her card and looks at her hand. The sight of a Dark Synchro on her side of the field sickens her, but she has a way to get rid of it. "I release _Fenix-Flare Wing_ to Summon _Celestial Knight-Pluto_!" she declares._

**Celestial Knight-Pluto ATK: 2300, DEF: 1000, Level 5**

_The dark bird vanishes and in its place appears a fully-armored knight in dark black armor. A similar colored sword is in the knight's hands._

_"Pluto, attack _Infernity Necromancer_! _Oblivion Slash_!" Sky orders._

_"I counter with my Continuous Trap _Depth Amulet_! By discarding a card, I can negate your attack!" Kalin counters, discarding a card from his hand._

_"I end my turn with three face-downs, then," she finishes._

_"My turn!" Crow declares, drawing his card. "You'll remember this card Sky! Through the effect of _Fenix Doom_, I Summon _Fenix-Gale the Blazing Wind!_"_

**Fenix-Gale the Blazing Wind ATK: 1300, DEF: 300, Level -10**

'If he gets a Level 2 monster out, then we're screwed,'_ Sky thinks. That _Black Fenix Dragon_ would get a huge advantage from the Life Point difference…_

_Crow nods to Kalin, and the icy-blue haired man says, "The effect of _Zero-Out_ works on Crow, since he's my partner, and that means he can use the effect of _Infernity Necromancer_ to bring back the _Infernity Dwar_f I discarded with _Depth Amulet_."_

**Infernity Dwarf ATK: 800, DEF: 500, Level 2**

_"I'll Tune _Fenix-Gale the Blazing Wind_ with _Infernity Dwarf! Fiery death, lift up your head and let loose a roar to shake the world! Dark Synchro Summon! Rise up,Black Fenix Dragon!"_ the ginger chants._

**Black Fenix Dragon ATK/DEF: 1500, Level -8**

_Sky steps back as she sees the black dragon once more. _'How can Crow do this?'

_"Sure, I can't attack because of the effect of _Magician of the Heavenly Halo_, but _Black Fenix Drago_n still gains Attack and Defense points! In the case of a Tag Duel, the gain is based on the difference between our total Life Points-4000!"_

**Black Fenix Dragon ATK/DEF: 5500**

_The serpent-like dragon gains a fiery red aura, brighter than the one last time. "That'll end my turn," he says._

**To be continued…**

Me: There's where Lucy wants to end the chapter.

Sky: And you're going to let that happen?

Me: I'm not in a mood to argue right now.

Sky: Oh. Well, get her to write the rest of that Duel. I want to know what happens.

Me: I know, I really just want to go to sleep right now though. I'm not going to talk for long. I thank anyone who has attempted to guess what's going to happen next, because some of the theories are really funny, at least to me because I have the whole plot planned out. Of course, I would always like to hear more, so review! Also, I need help. In the next chapter, Goodwin is going to Synchro Summon _Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_ and _Life Stream Dragon_. I'm stuck as to whether or not I should include a Summon Chant for either of them, because I have no idea what _Tuner_ should have, and I don't think Leo's for _Life Stream Dragon_ fits Goodwin's character. So, any ideas would be wonderful! I'm not updating until I get at least one person telling me their thoughts about that.


	11. Chapter 10—The Fifth Dragon

**Thanks goes to PLSAC for reviewing the last chapter.**

**Oh, you're going to hate some of my friends soon enough. Originally, I was going to have a semi-evil way to get to the ending of this story. Thanks to two of my friends… There is now an _uber_ evil way to get to the ending, and it starts in the next chapter. For now, enjoy this update**

Disclaimer: Gosh, I haven't done one since chapter 5. Oops. Well, you should know that I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds by now.

Warning: Violence and mentions of death. Oh, and I didn't come up with any Summon Chants, so I just used the existing one for _Life Stream Dragon_.

**Chapter 10**

_Sky stares at the dragon. "Crow, stop this! This isn't you, and that dragon isn't something you would use!"_

_Crow snarls. "I told you before, things are different now! I've been given a second chance, and I'm gonna use it."_

_She steps back. "You're right, I guess things are different…"_

"_I'll be taking my turn now!" Goodwin interrupts, drawing his card. "I Summon the Tuner _Swordsman of the Heavenly Halo_! Then, since he is Level 1, I will Tune him with my Level 1 _Archer of the Heavenly Halo_! I Synchro Summon_ Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_!"_

**Tuner of the Heavenly Halo ATK: 900, DEF: 600, Level 2**

_The new monster has an interesting appearance. Its body seems to be almost like a robot, but it's actually armor that covers the creature. Also, its forearms aren't attached; instead they are held in place probably by telekinetic abilities. A glowing halo forms behind the monster's right side._

"_I end my turn," he finishes._

_Kalin snickers. "That monster is pathetic! If you think it'll protect you once I break the loop you have us in, you've got another thing coming!" He draws his card._

_Sky clutches her arm-the one with the glowing mark. _'This early in the Duel?'

"_First off, I activate the Field Spell _Nazca Lines_! This Spell lets there be more than one Earthbound Immortal on the field at a time, and any Earthbound Immortals gain an extra 800 Attack Points."_

_The ground seems to turn into a desert, and instead of the two Shadow Marks overlapping each other, they are now glowing separately, both visible while reflecting off of the clouds._

"_It's time!" Kalin shouts. "I release _Infernity Necromancer _and_ Magician of the Heavenly Halo_! _I sacrifice all of these souls to you… Advent! Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu!_"_

**Earthbound Immortal Ccapac Apu ATK: 3000 to 3800, DEF: 2000, Level 10**

_The heart-shaped stone appears in the sky, and absorbs black fog like Sky remembers seeing last time. The heart pulses three times, and then explodes in a flash of light. It dims, and a giant of darkness appears, intricate blue lines tracing the creature's body. _

"_I thought this would happen! _Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_ prevents any non-Synchro monsters from attacking," Goodwin says. "Your _Ccapac Apu_ will not be doing anything this turn."_

"_You're forgetting _Black Fenix Dragon,_" Kalin retorts. "He might be a Dark Synchro, but that's enough to get around your effect. And guess what? _Black Fenix Dragon's_ Attack Points are more than enough to rid you of your Life Points, since you so foolishly Summoned _Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_ in Attack Mode." He shrugs his shoulders. "Sorry Goodwin, but neither of us wanted to Duel you in the first place. Sky's the one we want, and you're standing in the way. _Black Fenix Dragon_, obliterate that monster!"_

_The black dragon pulls back his head and lets out a burst of red-and-black flames that shoot right at _Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_. Sky slams her hand at one of her face-downs. "I activate the Trap _Scrap-Iron Scarecrow_! This negates your attack and, once it does, returns back to the face-down position."_

_A scarecrow that's made of metal, and yet seems ready to fall apart, appears in the path of the flames. The fire hits the object and vanishes._

_The icy-blue haired Dark Signer scowls. "Guess Sky bought you another turn. I've got nothing else to do, so it's your move Sky."_

'I better get something that can counter those two cards,' _she thinks and sighs. "It's my turn." Sky draws her card and looks at it. It's the Equip Spell _Silver Wing_, and she smiles. "I'll start by Summoning the Tuner _Celestial Synchron_!"_

**Celestial Synchron ATK: 700, DEF: 1800, Level 3**

"_Level 3 _Celestial Synchron_, Tune with Level 5 _Celestial Knight-Pluto_! _Clustering wishes become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!_" Sky chants._

**Stardust Dragon ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, Level 8**

_The familiar silver dragon appears, but turns blue and curls into a ball. And the black-armored knight also returns to the field, and turns blue._

"_Once per turn, I can Special Summon _Celestial Knight-Pluto_ back to the field when he is removed from it for any reason. Then I activate the Equip Spell _Silver Wing_, and equip it to _Stardust Dragon_! This lets my dragon survive up to two battles every turn," Sky explains. "That'll end my turn."_

"_If you think your Signer Dragon makes a difference, you've got another thing coming," Crow taunts. "_Black Fenix Dragon_, you've outlived your usefulness. I use your ability to count as two tributes for the Summon of an Earthbound Immortal and… _Advent! Earthbound Immortal Kurai Fenikkusu!_"_

**Earthbound Immortal Kurai Fenikkusu ATK: 2700 to 3500, DEF: 3000, Level 10**

"Kurai Fenikkusu_, activate your ability! By banishing one card from my Graveyard, I can negate the effect of one monster on the field until the End Phase, like that pesky _Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_," Crow continues._

'I can't let him break through our defense!'_ Sky wavers for a second; she has a card to counter the effect but… _'No buts! I have to do this!' _"I counter with the effect of _D.D. Crow_! I discard it and banish your card before the effect of _Kurai Fenikkusu_ plays out, so you still can't attack!"_

_A small black bird appears on the field and darts at Crow. The bird steals a card from the Dark Signer's Duel Disk, and vanishes. The ginger stares at the space where the bird was. "_D.D. Crow_…? That's-! AGH!" He clutches his head in pain._

"_Crow, are you alright?" Sky asks._

"_You won't win this! Just wait until my next turn," he replies, fury laced in his voice but no sense of pain at all._

'Did I just see what I think I saw? Is the Earthbound Immortal really possessing Crow, and did he almost break free because of his old card?'_ Sky turns to Goodwin. "Make this turn count, Rex. I still think we can save them, somehow."_

_He nods in acknowledgement. "This Duel isn't over yet! I draw!" For a second, he stares at the card in astonishment. Then he narrows his eyes and declares, "I release _Tuner of the Heavenly Halo_ and _Celestial Knight-Pluto_ in order to Summon… _Crimson Star-Envoy of the Life Stream!_"_

**Crimson Star-Envoy of the Life Stream ATK: 2900, DEF: 2400, Level 7**

_An orange dragon with four leather-like wings appears, with some sort of short spear attached to the back of its left arm. But the most bizarre feature of the dragon are the red lines that spiral along its body, gathering at the base of the dragon's neck. Then, the dragon has on a helmet that looks almost exactly like the Crimson Dragon's own head._

_Sky says nothing, but stares at the dragon in awe as she revives her knight once again._

"_That… That's not… What is that creature?" Crow demands. "That can't be your Signer Dragon!"_

"_Not quite, but it will be here soon enough," Rex answers. "I activate my face-down, _Call of the Haunted_, and I use it to revive _Swordsman of the Heavenly Halo_. He'll be Tuning once more, but this time it will be with the Level 7 _Crimson Star-Envoy of the Life Stream!The courage and power to protect the world's peace is a revolution! Synchro Summon! Evolve, Life Stream Dragon!Life Stream Dragon_!"_

**Life Stream Dragon ATK: 2900, DEF: 2400, Level 8**

_An almost identical dragon appears on the field. This one is missing the helmet and the red lines that the other dragon had._

_Both of the Dark Signers recoil as the new dragon roars. _

"_I activate my Trap _Dragon Aid_!" Sky declares. "This grants the Attack Points of one Dragon-Type monster, like _Stardust Dragon_, to another Dragon-Type monster on the field. It also gives that dragon the power to attack twice this round. So, _Life Stream Dragon_ becomes almost twice as powerful!"_

**Stardust Dragon ATK: 0; Life Stream Dragon ATK: 5400**

_A ghost-copy of _Stardust Dragon_ merges with _Life Stream Dragon_, and the brown dragon gains a white aura._

_With disdain in his voice, Crow says, "Earthbound Immortals can't be selected as an attack target…"_

_Sky realizes what this means. "That means…" She wouldn't be able to finish the Duel herself; there is no way she would be able to defeat them in a Duel like this one. It would be the equivalent of killing them… And she still refuses to believe the fact that she made Crow a Dark Signer._

"Life Stream Dragon_, finish this Duel! Use your two attacks to attack each of them directly!" Goodwin orders._

_Crow retains his look of despair, but Kalin smirks. "Oh, you were so close. I activate the Trap _Negate Attack_, effectively shutting down your Battle Phase."_

_A moment of silence crosses the field and Sky flinches. _'Now we have to survive another turn… And I might have to finish the Duel.'_ "When… When the Battle Phase in which _Dragon Aid_ was activated is completed, the monster that gained power is forced into Defense Mode," she says._

_The brown dragon's wings curl in front of him, and he turns blue._

"_I end my turn, then," the eldest Signer finishes._

_Kalin laughs. "This is the end! It's my turn, I draw!"_

"_It won't be the end! I activate my Trap _Hallowed Life Barrier_, so this turn, none of our monsters can be destroyed in battle and neither of us take damage," she shouts, a silver-yet-transparent barrier appearing around her and Goodwin._

_The icy-blue haired Dark Signer huffs in annoyance, but then smiles. "You can't stall forever! I end my turn, but this Duel will be over soon!"_

_Sky closes her eyes. _'He's right… I don't know if there's any way to win this… But… I have to save them!'

'That's the spirit!'

_She jerks her head up and looks left to right. That was Yusei's voice she just heard. Why, though? Yusei's been dead for three years now…_

'I'm not Yusei,'_ the voice says again. _'Yusei was my old master.'

_The dots connect, and Sky gasps. "_Stardust Dragon_!?"_

'That's me! Sorry, I know that I sound exactly like Yusei, and that might bring back bad memories… Oh! And there's a way to save your friends, well, one of them at least in the case that you lose the Duel.'

'With the way things are going, that's the most likely outcome,'_ Sky thinks._

'Well… I know the truth about what happened that day. I need to share it with all of you.'

_Sky nods. "Go ahead. Show us the truth."_

_The other three stare at her with astonished looks on their faces. But they don't last long, because _Stardust Dragon_ roars loudly, and a flash of light envelops the field._

**XXX**

"What in the world…?" Okay, this was _definitely_ not what I was expecting. _Stardust Dragon_ having the same voice as Yusei… and _Life Stream Dragon_… What's the deal it? It's not a Signer Dragon in my world… is it? No, there are only five Signers, and none of them have _Life Stream Dragon._ Also… "What truth does _Stardust Dragon_ have to show? I already know what happened that night…"

"Yes, but you don't know _why_ the other you killed Crow," Goodwin replies. "That is the truth that _Stardust_ is going to show."

Oh. Well, I _do_ want to know what happened… "Show me."

**XXX**

_**The four Duelists find themselves surrounded in darkness. It stays like that for a few moments, until the kneeling form of a different Sky, one battered and exhausted from a Duel, appears at the center of the darkness. She's sobbing, and keeps repeating Yusei's voice.**_

_**Two glowing red eyes appear in the darkness near her, and a voice echoes, "A shame, isn't it?"**_

_**She jerks her head up and looks around. "Who are you? What do you want?"**_

"_**Well, it is your fault that Yusei died."**_

"_**My fault…?" She looks down and sobs again. Here, Jack and another Kalin and Crow appear out of the darkness, and their mouths move like they're speaking, but none of the four in the Duel can hear it. The other Sky continues, "It's my fault. All my fault… He's gone because of me…"**_

_**The evil voice echoes again, "What if I told you that I could bring him back?"**_

"_**Yusei?"**_

"_**Yes… All you have to do is kill that friend of yours… Kalin, I believe his name is?"**_

"_**Go away," she growls in return.**_

"_**You can't make me," the voice taunts.**_

"_**Just go away! I don't want your help!"**_

"_**I don't need your permission, pathetic human!"**_

"_**Why aren't you gone yet? I said LEAVE ME ALONE!" She blasts a large pulse at the glowing red eyes in her fury. The three other Enforcers return into the darkness, knocked back by the power of the pulse.**_

_**The red eyes vanish for a moment, but reappear in front of the other Sky. "NO ONE SAYS NO TO ME!" the evil voice snarls. **_

_**The eyes vanish again, and the other Sky holds her head in pain. The crimson mark on her arm glows brightly, but it soon dims and a purple mark appears on her back. The mark of Wiraqocha Rasca. She stands up and grins. The darkness shrouding the area vanishes, and the four Duelists can now see the other Jack and Kalin unconscious and against a dilapidated building, and the other Crow trying to get back on his feet. The other Crow is on the opposite side of the other Sky as Jack and Kalin are.**_

"_**It's a shame, really," the other Sky muses to herself, a hint of the evil voice layered in the words. "All this power, wasted because she's been too stubborn to see it." The monologue stops, and the possessed woman looks at the unconscious Kalin. "Yes, he is one as well. **__**It's too bad he has to die first. But," her grin curves up even more, "it will be by my hand."**_

_**She starts walking over to him, and it's at this moment when the four watch the other Crow regain his footing and grab a broken pipe off the ground. He runs behind Sky and whacks the bag of her kneecap with the pipe. On the ground, Sky flips over, her face filled with rage. "How dare you mess with me?"**_

_**The ginger holds the broken pipe in front of him like a weapon. "I'm not going to let you hurt, much less kill, anyone. And I heard what you said."**_

_**For a second, the whole evil voice comes through her and laughs. It returns to the layered voice when she says, "You do realize that I only wanted to kill Kalin, right? I would have left you and Jack well enough alone. But now you've done it, trying to be the hero. You'll have to die, then. And Kalin will follow you. It's his destiny to die today."**_

"'_**Destiny'? Who the f*** are you, and what have you done with Sky?"**_

_**Her mouth doesn't move, but the four can hear Sky's full voice shout, "It's not me! It's an Earthbound Immortal controlling my body!"**_

_**The evil voice echoes, "Shut up! He can't hear you!"**_

_**Then, it continues to reply to Crow's question. "I am Sky. I've just discovered what I can really do." The sight of the Tail of the Dragon, even if it wasn't glowing, makes the possessed Sky frown. She ignores it and closes her hand so that it looks like she's holding an invisible flashlight. From the back, the four watch the Mark of the Condor glow brighter, and Crow leaves the ground from a telekinetic force.**_

_**The golden-haired woman laughs again and starts closing her fist. Crow looks like he's just about had it when she stops, hand almost closed. "You shouldn't have interfered! Now, die in vain, Crow Goodwin!"**_

**To be continued...**

Me: Oh yeah, that just happened.

Sky: So _that's_ why you made me kill Crow. You had an Earthbound Immortal do it.

Me: Mhmm. There's more, but you'll find out in the next chapter. Ah, the next chapter. Just when you didn't think anything could get worse, it will. I can't wait to put it up… But I'm not quite done with it and my beta hasn't gone over it yet either.

Sky: Since when do you have a beta?

Me: Well, it's only for this story. I have pretty much this same story in a Google Drive folder that's shared with a group of my friends. One friend (the one that my fifth muse was created by) is a bit of a Grammar Nazi…

UM: Skoman for the win!

Me: *Eye twitch* Okay, I really need to have a talk with my friend… So, in the meantime, review! Thanks again to PLSAC for reviewing the last chapter. I'd love to hear what all of you think though, not just one or two people every chapter. I'll be going now…

UM: GRP!

Me: THAT'S WORSE THAN SKOMAN AND KACK COMBINED! SHUT UP, PLEASE!

UM: Does that mean I can't lose the game?

Me: *Makes the inhuman noise* Agh, I just lost the game!

Sky: Do I want to know?

Me: What GRP stands for, no. The losing the game thing is a Marching Band joke. I'm off. UM, stay here and _don't_ try messing with Lucy.

UM: Fine...


End file.
